Talk:then

Misspelling for than
As a Brit now living in the US, I am surprised how often the word THAN is mis-spelled as THEN. This should be documented.

A quick search revealed a few examples:

Extreme - More Then Words Lyrics More Then Words Lyrics by Extreme. ... Visitors: 2833 visitors have hited More Then Words Lyrics since Dec 28, 2007. Print: Extreme - More Then Words Lyrics ... www.lyrics007.com/Extreme%20Lyrics/More%20Then%20Words%20Lyrics.html - 15k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

Lesvos: More then Just Another Greek Island A complete guide to the Greek island of Lesvos,known for beautiful beaches, vast wildlife, excellent cuisine and unspoiled landscape, a true paradise for ... www.lesvos.com/ - 20k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

Mexican Recipes More Then Just Mexican Recipes.You will feel as if you've been to a Mex-cooking school with all of our mexican recipes. www.mex-recipes.com/ - 12k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

New Hampshire Townships with more then 50 votes for “OTHER” | Ron ...98 Responses to “New Hampshire Townships with more then 50 votes for “OTHER””. Jason Says: January 9th, 2008 at 1:00 pm. if these other votes all go to Ron ... www.ronpaulwarroom.com/?p=760 - 121k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this


 * Unfortunately, it’s all too true. —Stephen 19:20, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Interestingly enough, then used to be spelled as than in Early Modern English, probably because both words were homophones, as can be seen in works by Shakespeare (quotation at phantasie).

It's a kind of noise-word
"Now then!" "Well, then." "Okay then!" I think this is often just a noise that acts like a full stop/period at the end of an utterance, similar to "well" at the beginning of an utterance. Am I right? Should we document it? How? Equinox ◑ 00:39, 24 September 2014 (UTC)


 * Only partially relatedly: Chambers has "used to continue a narrative after a break or digression" (as in, I suppose, "let's get back to the original topic, then") and "used esp at the end of the questions that ask for an explanation, opinion, etc or that ask for or assume agreement" (as in, I suppose, "Politicians should be killed!" "Who do you expect to run the country, then?!"). Equinox ◑ 00:43, 24 September 2014 (UTC)

RFV discussion: April–August 2018
We have a sense "(obsolete) At the time that; when.", but it's only backed up from a quote from Malory, 1485, which is technical Middle English (pre-1500), and more importantly says "Than the knyght sawe hym lye soo on the ground," not then.--Prosfilaes (talk) 23:05, 3 April 2018 (UTC)
 * Pretty common in Middle English, but AFAICT doesn't seem to have survived past the 15th century. Ƿidsiþ 08:20, 4 April 2018 (UTC)

RFV-failed Kiwima (talk) 21:04, 21 August 2018 (UTC)

but then
THEN 4. Used after but to qualify or balance a preceding statement: The star was nervous, but then who isn't on the first night of a new play Idiom: then again https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=then I do not understand its lexicographical treatment: but then is not an idiom as then again is, but still the definition says "used after but".

Wiktionary has an entry for but then again as an "Alternative form of then again" --Backinstadiums (talk) 17:46, 30 July 2020 (UTC)

besides
I love my job, and then it pays so well. --Backinstadiums (talk) 19:07, 3 March 2021 (UTC)

Since that is so; therefore
4. in that case; in those circumstances: If you want to quit, then do so. 5. since that is so; therefore: If the car is out of gas, then it won't start. https://www.wordreference.com/definition/then --Backinstadiums (talk) 16:53, 26 June 2021 (UTC)

At first the water seemed blue, then gray.
[https://www.wordreference.com/definition/then 4. at the same time:] At first the water seemed blue, then gray.

What meaning of at the same time is used here? --Backinstadiums (talk) 17:03, 26 June 2021 (UTC)


 * It seems to fit our ‘soon afterward’ definition, it means something like ‘soon afterward, upon closer inspection’ or perhaps the ‘next in order of a sequence’ definition (i.e ‘The water seemed blue, until it turned gray’). I don’t get wordreference’s logic at all here Overlordnat1 (talk) 10:53, 28 June 2021 (UTC)