Practice
Other than or other then: which is correct?
Your team can meet on any day other than Friday. If Friday is the only day left, then you need a new plan. The two forms look close, but they do different jobs.
Choose other than for an exception or comparison, and use then only when you mean time, a result, or the next step.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
other than /ˈʌðər ðæn/
The short answer
Use other than when you mean except, apart from, or differently from. Use then when you mean at that time, after that, or as a result. Read the whole sentence and ask whether it needs an exception or a time-and-order word.
No one other than Maya knew the password.
Why it works: Other than introduces the person who is excluded from everyone else. It means except Maya.
5 more examples
-
I do not drink anything other than water during the race.
The phrase means except water. It names the one drink outside the general rule.
Not this:I drank water,
thenI started the race. What changes: Then shows the next event in time. It does not introduce an exception. -
The apartment is quiet other than the traffic in the morning.
Other than means apart from the traffic. The traffic is the exception to the description quiet.
Not this:The traffic became lighter,
then the street was quiet. What changes: Then places the quiet period after the traffic changed. -
Her explanation was other than I expected.
Here other than means different from what I expected.
Not this:I expected a short explanation;
then she spokefor twenty minutes. What changes: Then introduces the later action. The sentence does not compare two expectations. -
Other than a small typo, the report is ready to send.
The opening phrase identifies one exception to the report being ready.
Not this:Fix the typo,
then sendthe report. What changes: Then gives the second step in an instruction. -
What could we do other than wait for the reply?
The speaker asks for an action that is different from waiting.
Not this:Wait for the reply,
then decidewhat to do. What changes: Then orders two actions: wait first and decide afterward.
Read the full guide
Start with the meaning, not the spelling. If you could naturally say except, the phrase other than will usually fit. If you are telling a sequence of events, then may be the word you need, but it will normally appear in a different part of the sentence.
Find the exception
Use other than when you are naming an exception. A quick check is to replace the phrase with except. If the meaning stays the same, other than is a strong choice.
Nobody other than my neighbor has a key.
Nobody except my neighbor has a key. The meaning stays the same.
Complete the sentence: We have no choice ___ to cancel the trip.
Use other than: We have no choice other than to cancel the trip.
Use then for the next point in time
Then helps a reader follow time and order. It can mean after that, at that time, or in that case. It does not have the exception meaning of other than.
We checked the schedule, then booked the tickets.
Then connects the booking to the earlier check as the next action.
Put the events in order: Call the office, ___ send the form.
Use then: Call the office, then send the form.
Compare an idea or result
Other than can also mean differently from. This use often follows a form of be or a verb such as seem, look, or turn out. The sentence compares the real situation with an expectation or a usual pattern.
The interview was other than we had imagined.
The interview was different from what we had imagined.
Choose the phrase for a difference from your plan: The route was ___ we planned.
Use other than: The route was other than we planned.
Keep the two jobs separate
A sentence can contain both meanings, but each word has its own place. Put other than next to the exception or comparison. Put then next to the later action or result.
Other than Tuesday, every day works; then we can choose a meeting time.
Other than Tuesday names the exception. Then introduces the next decision.
Which word names the later action: other than or then?
Use then for the later action or result.
Edit by meaning, not by sound
When you see other then in a draft, pause before changing it. Ask what the writer means. If the next words name an exception or difference, revise the phrase to other than. If the writer is moving through time, then may be correct but will usually need a different sentence structure.
There was nothing to do other than wait.
There was nothing to do except wait. This confirms the exception meaning.
Use the except test: Can except replace the phrase in There was nothing to do ___ wait?
Yes. Use other than because the sentence means except wait.
Before you go
Remember this
Use other than when one person, thing, action, or idea is an exception or is different from another. Use then for time, order, or a result. If except keeps the meaning, other than is the useful choice to check first.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Other than or other then: which is correct?"
How can I check the phrase in my own sentence?
Read the words after the phrase and try replacing the whole phrase with except. If the sentence still names an exception, use the exception pattern from this lesson. If the sentence describes an order of events, look for a time word instead.
I do not drink anything other than water during the race.
Can this pattern be used in formal writing?
Yes. It appears in ordinary emails, reports, instructions, and conversation. Choose it when it gives the clearest meaning. In a short sentence, except may sometimes be the more direct option.
I drank water, then I started the race.
Can the phrase come at the beginning of a sentence?
Yes. An opening phrase can name the one exception before the main point: Other than a minor delay, the delivery went smoothly. A comma is often useful after a longer opening phrase.
The apartment is quiet other than the traffic in the morning.
Why does then sometimes appear after an if clause?
Then can introduce the result of a condition. It shows what follows if the condition is true. The word is optional in many if sentences, so use it when it makes the result easier to follow.
The traffic became lighter, then the street was quiet.
What if I mean different from rather than except?
The same comparison pattern can describe a result, plan, or experience that differs from an expectation. Read the complete sentence to decide whether it is an exception to a group or a comparison with an earlier idea.
Her explanation was other than I expected.