Which to use
“then” is an adverb and “toe” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #23,392
- “then” frequency rank
- #47,652
- “toe” frequency rank
- 71044
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | then | toe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (Adverbe conjonctif) Alors, dans ce cas, par conséquence. | Doigt de pied, orteil. |
Where the eye mixes then and toe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between then and toe
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: then is \ˈðɛn\ while toe is \təʊ\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71044, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
then is recorded at frequency rank #23,392, classified as anadv, pronounced \ˈðɛn\. toe is at rank #47,652, tagged as anoun, pronounced \təʊ\.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 71044, this pair ranks #49,011 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of then vs toe
Shared letters: et. Private to "then": hn. Private to "toe": o.
"then" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "toe" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- then ← hten · tehn · thenn · thhen · thne · tthen
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "then" for "toe" ever safe?
Frequency check: "then" vs "toe" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "then" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "toe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #49,011 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "then" and "toe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tif vs toe". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #49,011 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.