than

A1 Topic:Grammar & Function Words

Also spelled th’n

US /ðæn/ UK /ðæn/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like then /ɛ/ vs /æ/ Sounds like van /ð/ vs /v/

Freq #159

Meanings

1

conj
Used to compare two things or people.

The bus is cheaper than the train.
2

prep
Used with words like more, less, and fewer to introduce what is being compared.

It took us more than two hours to get there.

Appears in

Idioms (4)

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Tongue twisters (1)

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Betty Botter
Betty Botter bought some butter. “But,” she said, “this butter’s bitter; If I put it in my batter, It will make my batter bitter; But a bit of better butter Will but make my batter better.” So she bought a bit of butter Better than the bitter butter, And made her bitter batter better. So it was better Betty Botter Bought a bit of better butter.

Compare the vowels in bit, better, batter and butter while keeping /b/ steady. Use your normal accent for the middle consonant of Betty, ...

Etymology

From Middle English than, thanne (“than; then”), from Old English þanne, a variant of þonne (“then; when; than”), from Proto-West Germanic *þannē, an alteration of *þan (“then; than”), from Proto-Germanic *þan (“then; than”), from earlier *þam, from Proto-Indo-European *tóm, accusative masculine of *só (“that”, demonstrative pronoun). Cognate with Dutch dan (“then; than”), German denn (“for; so”), German dann (“then”). Doublet of then.

than Middle English þanne Old English *þannē Proto-West Germanic *þan Proto-Germanic *tóm Proto-Indo-European

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Topics

Grammar & Function Words

External links

# than

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A1
**Part of speech:** conj, prep
**IPA (US):** /ðæn/
**IPA (UK):** /ðæn/
**Frequency rank:** 159

## Meanings
1. Used to compare two things or people.
2. Used with words like more, less, and fewer to introduce what is being compared.

## Examples
- The bus is cheaper than the train.
- It took us more than two hours to get there.

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: than
- Root: þanne
- Root: *þannē
- Root: *þan
- Root: *tóm

## Etymology
From Middle English than, thanne (“than; then”), from Old English þanne, a variant of þonne (“then; when; than”), from Proto-West Germanic *þannē, an alteration of *þan (“then; than”), from Proto-Germanic *þan (“then; than”), from earlier *þam, from Proto-Indo-European *tóm, accusative masculine of *só (“that”, demonstrative pronoun). Cognate with Dutch dan (“then; than”), German denn (“for; so”), German dann (“then”). Doublet of then.

## AI Etymology
Than is from Middle English than, thanne (“than; then”), from Old English þanne, a variant of þonne (“then; when; than”), from Proto-West Germanic *þannē, an alteration of *þan (“then; than”), from Proto-Germanic *þan (“then; than”), from earlier *þam, from Proto-Indo-European *tóm, accusative masculine of *só (“that”, demonstrative pronoun). Cognate with Dutch dan (“then; than”), German denn (“for; so”), German dann (“then”). Doublet of then.

## Topics
- Grammar & Function Words

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