Why do some people use the words than and then in place of each other?

Question

For example;

"I WILL GO THAN" or "I HAVE MORE THEN YOU".

I personally get really annoyed at this but I cant go on about it too much so am just wondering about others opinions on this.

No, i mean people that do this all of the time. They are out there.

"I HAVE MORE THEN YOU". OMG. lol

Yes, your and you're being mixed up also annoys me.

But with regards to needle and fred, I may say it like this as I am from East London but I know how to spell it properly. lol

If someone spelt it "needle and fred" then I think I might get a little annoyed. lol

Also I said "use" not "say" so I am generally talking about the use of these words in speech AND when written but mostly when written.

I should have clarified this as it stands to reason for me but nor everyone.

When someone speaks there are many many reasons why they may not be able to say a word properly, but as long as someone can write I think there is no excuse!

I wonder what happens in schools these days. lol

Answer 1

Than it can be said that know won or too answers can be better then another won. Ware have you seen this happen? Their must be another weigh two prove this because no to words in English sound the same. I am not shore what ewe mean! ! Good thing we have spell check sew we don't make mistakes like others wood! I hope I was able two shed some lite on it four ewe. LOL Are ewe annoyed yet? Than I better stop now!

Answer 2

Yes, it's annoying but the main reason people do that is, the two words sound alike when you're speaking. No one says "better than," so that "than" rhymes with "fan." The word always comes out sounding like "then."

An even bigger bother to me is when people use "that" in place of "than." "One is better THAT the other." Gives me the shivers.

As you probably know, there are TONS of other dumb word errors that people make constantly. As long as you know you're using the right words, it puts you ahead of the game.

Answer 3

Because these days nobody cares about correct grammar. I also find such things particularly annoying. Another one is when people say "nothink" instead of nothing (even simon cowell) or use f instead of th, as in needle and fred. It just makes them look ignorant. I'm glad someone else feels the same as I do about this! lol :)

Answer 4

Well, I asked myself the same thing when I went to Australia. A lot of people make this mistake there, I think it has something to do with the way people pronounce words, their accent. I also noticed that a lot of people make this mistake in America but very few make it in England where people pronounce it "than" rather than "then" (like they do in Australia and America).

Answer 5

Those are two words that can confuse people. It's pretty easy to get the two mixed up, as they sound pretty much alike unless you're going on the 'a' in than.

For instance, try saying, "Then I shall go." Now try, "You have more than me." Say like you're a normal person though, not like you're just trying to say I'm wrong. Actually try it, and when you speak at your normal speed, you'll see that than and then sound almost exactly alike.

Answer 6

It's also irritating when people don't know the difference between your and you're. It's more important to focus on the meaning than the spelling. Enjoy your week-end!

Answer 7

Most people do not speak properly. Its the way words are pronounced that makes it sounds like something else.

Answer 8

Its a simple mistake to make, sounds the same and everyone makes a mistake now and a again. Noones perfect! (LOL!)

Answer 9

Could it just be a typo / being lazy?
...like the questioner's penchant for omitting apostrophes and even whole words! eg:
"cant" should be "can't",
"so am just wondering" should be "so I am just wondering"
"others" should be "others' "

Answer 10

"Then" and "Than" is only the tip of the iceberg!! There are way more that get me going too.