Quick answer Canonicalizes to Then vs. Than
Is it "bigger then" or "bigger than"?
i · AnswerOne line, no lecture
"Bigger than." Any comparison uses than.
ii · ContextWhy the question comes up
Any adjective ending in -er (bigger, faster, cheaper) is a comparative, and comparatives almost always take than. The same goes for more and less phrases (more expensive than, less crowded than). If the sentence is measuring one thing against another, than is the word.
iv · ExamplesWrong on the left, right on the right
This box is bigger then that one.
This box is bigger than that one.
*Bigger* is a comparative → *than*.
The flight was longer then I expected.
The flight was longer than I expected.
Comparing expected vs actual length → *than*.
v · Watch forWhen the rule bends
If you follow the comparison with a time marker — it was bigger, then it shrank — the second word is actually then, because it marks a new event in a sequence. A comma usually signals that shift.
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