Monday blues, anyone? You know what always cheers me up? A little bit of grammar time.

The same mistakes are being repeated in email copy and social media posts, so I figured it’s time I spell it out.

Than and then are not the same.

Than is mainly used when comparing two (or more) different things. I repeat: than is a conjunction most often used in comparisons.

Examples:
I am taller than my sister.
My banana bread is better than Lauren’s cornbread.
Give more than just the numbers when executing your strategy.
I write my emails differently than you do.

Then is kind of like a time placeholder. A more scholarly explanation: then is an adverb that you can use to situate certain actions in a set timeframe.

Examples:
First I take the subway and then I walk four blocks to get to work.
If you’re late to this meeting, then you might have to skip lunch.
I wanted to bring print-outs, but then the printer broke down.
We had Cyber Monday deals today. It was then that the delegates decided to register.

A trick, thanks to the smart people at grammarist, is that then can be replaced by many other synonyms, but than cannot.

I am taller than my sister (No other word would work here.)
Vs.
First I take the subway and next I walk four blocks to get to work. (Bye, bye then.)

Extra credit!!
Up-to-date has hyphens
Onsite is one word
Sneak peek = take a peek = you’re peeking into something. Peak is the top of a mountain
The U.S. always has periods since it is an abbreviation