Why are there so many people who type "then" when they really mean "than"?

The pathetic shape of some of our education systems is to blame, in my opinion.

Then - Than

Your - You're

There - Their - They're

Sell - Sale - Sail

The list goes on and on ......

Cause they ain't got no good English!

I agree, not only than and then - but lose and loose, skool and school, da and the, a lot and alot, site and sight. The list is endless.

At this point, I think we are being so desensitized to the awful grammar and spelling on here that many people no longer see it or care. I wish that pressing preview automatically did a spell/grammar check and that a question had to meet a minimum standard to be placed on here.

Ah..the first answer over-obsessing. Isn't that redundant?

obsessing - be fixated on/upon, be preoccupied with, be possessed by, be consumed with/by (thoughts of), have an obsession with; be infatuated with, be besotted with, be smitten with

Its a pronunciation problem when it comes to actually spelling the word. A lot of people spell their words based on the pronunciation and since most people do not take the time to enunciate their words, "than" becomes pronounced to them often as "then" and therefore "then" is typed into the writing.

It's really a problem of enunciation in America....

Example: Potato is often enunciated as "patata".

I can sypathize with you; many people lack an understanding of the finer points of the English language, and it drives me a little batty sometimes, too. The only thing you can do is accept the fact that lots of people don't read for pleasure any more, and thus do not see examples of correct English to emulate.

They sound the same; they are both pronounced with schwa. English's spelling system is notorious for not being spelled like it sounds. The reason for that is mostly historical; the spelling system was invented a long time ago when the pronunciation was different. The pronunciation changed, but the spelling stayed the same. I'm sure that you occasionally make spelling mistakes too, so just try giving people the benefit of the doubt.

Yes, I do know how that makes you feel. It is because people chat online, do instant messenger, and use spellcheck on all of their homework. The absolute WORST part about conversing with people online is that most people cannot have an "intelligent" conversation. They abbreviate, misspell, and put acronyms like LMAO, that make no sense to a normal person.

DRIVES ME NUTS!!

They didn't pay enough attention in English class to actually know the difference and spell check doesn't pick it up for them

Then = Used to reference time

Than = Used for comparison

Spell check will pass both words as correct, better proof reading might help

I know how this makes you feel- nauseous, dirty, and enraged. I feel your pain.

It's because most people are idiots and rely on spellcheck. Sigh, the good old days of Spelling and Language class.

Because its one of the most mispelled words. Beacuse they sound alike ppl dont know which one to use. Its not that its a typo or they can't spell. Its just something that happens naturally. And seeing how you are a spelling genius you should know something like that.