How to pronounce than
Say it like THAN. Than is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce than. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- THAN
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Than pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- THANSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "a" in cat.
American vs British pronunciation of than
American and British speakers say than in essentially the same way: /ðæn/ in the US and /ðæn/ in the UK.
British respelling: THAN.
What does than mean?
- Used in comparisons, to introduce the basis of comparison.“Profits were higher than forecast.”
- Introduces a comparison, and is associated with comparatives, and with words such as more, less, and fewer. Typically, it seeks to measure the force of an adjective or similar description between two predicates.“Patients diagnosed more recently are probably surviving an average of longer than two years.”
- At that time; then.
Where does than come from?
Cognate with Dutch dan (“then; than”), German denn (“for; so”), German dann (“then”).
Words that rhyme with than
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of than.
Questions about saying than
How do you pronounce than?
Say THAN. The American pronunciation is /ðæn/. In British English it is /ðæn/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in than?
Than is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: THAN.
Do Americans and Brits say than the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ðæn/ and the British form is /ðæn/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.