Which to use
“tee” is a noun and “then” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #31,164
- “tee” frequency rank
- #18,204
- “then” frequency rank
- 49368
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tee | then |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | chá | então, aí. daí |
Where the eye mixes tee and then
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses tee with then
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tee is /ˈteː/ while then is /ˈðɛn/. 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 (noun vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49368, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tee is recorded at frequency rank #31,164, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈteː/. then is at rank #18,204, tagged as anadv, pronounced /ˈðɛn/.
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 49368, this pair ranks #15,657 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of tee vs then
Shared letters: et. Private to "tee": -. Private to "then": hn.
"tee" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "then" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- then ← hten · tehn · thenn · thhen · thne · tthen
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tee" for "then" ever safe?
Which is more common, "tee" or "then"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "tee" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "then" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #15,657 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tee" and "then" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tee vs tune". 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 #15,657 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.