The words “then” and “than” sound the same, and this causes many people to use them incorrectly.  Their meanings are quite different, so knowing what each signifies should help you with their usage. 

Let’s begin by discussing the word “then.”  This word deals with some aspect of time.  For instance, it could mean “at that time” or it could mean “next.”  Here are a couple of examples:

Video games were a lot more simplistic back then.

We finished our chores and then we played video games.

The first example uses “then” in a way that suggests “at that time.”  The second example uses “then” to suggest that we did something “next” or right after our chores.

The word “than” is used to compare things and has nothing to do with time.  Here are two examples:

New video games are more expensive than used ones.

Nintendo is more popular than Sony.

In both of those examples, we compared items by using “than.”

As a tip for remembering how to use then vs. than, consider this: then and time both contain the letter “e” and than and comparison both have the letter “a.”  Remember this so you don’t confuse the meanings of each word, which should help you to use them properly.