Which to use
“then” is an adverb and “they” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,204
- “then” frequency rank
- #11,171
- “they” frequency rank
- 29375
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | then | they |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | então, aí. daí | pronome pessoal de terceira pessoa plural referente a um grupo de pessoas sem especificação de gênero; eles ou elas |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set then and they apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
then and they form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by a single letter - n in “then” becomes y in “they” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29375, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
then is recorded at frequency rank #18,204, classified as anadv, pronounced /ˈðɛn/. they is at rank #11,171, tagged as apron.
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 29375, this pair ranks #39,280 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "then" and "they" be used interchangeably?
Remembering then vs they
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “then”; for a pronoun, it's “they”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “then” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable