so vs then

The words 'so' and 'then' have different meanings and are used in different contexts. 'So' is often used to indicate a consequence or reason, while 'then' is used to show a sequence of events or actions. They are not interchangeable, and the choice between them depends on the specific meaning you want to convey.

Last updated: March 31, 2024 • 902 views

The word 'so' is correct and commonly used in English to indicate a consequence, reason, or manner.

"so"

Use 'so' to introduce a consequence or reason, to emphasize a point, or to show the manner in which something is done.

Examples:

I was tired, so I went to bed early.
She studied hard, so she passed the exam.
He spoke softly, so as not to wake the baby.
I like ice cream, so I bought a cone.
It was raining, so we decided to stay indoors.

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But that wall is so big, so well-maintained, so solid, so powerful, so intimidating, so indestructible, so gray.
They're all so sanctimonious... so judgmental.
We packed all our clothes, so I guess so.
George is so academic and Nathaniel was so...
He seemed so lonely, so helpless and shy.
Life is so wonderful, so fleeting and precious.
Everything's so ugly and yet so comfortable.
I was so, so nervous about seeing you.
She has been so understanding, so sympathetic.
I haven't worked so hard for so little money since Afghanistan.
Never had the schoolmaster felt so melancholy, so utterly alone.
You all look so handsome, so grown-up.
She was just so flippant, so comfortable around us.
I am so so So so sorry.
We are so so so sorry about last night.
Was so premeditated, so cold-blooded.
Nothing so important changes so quickly.
Never was someone so tortured for so long, so needlessly.
Seemed so implausible that someone so careful could be so careless.
I think what we have is so, so, so, so, so, so special.

Alternatives:

therefore
thus
consequently
hence
as a result

The word 'then' is correct and commonly used in English to indicate a sequence of events or actions.

"then"

Use 'then' to show a chronological order of events, to indicate what happens next, or to introduce a consequence.

Examples:

I finished my homework, then I went to bed.
She ate breakfast, then she went for a walk.
First, we need to prepare the ingredients, then we can start cooking.
If you press this button, then the machine will start.
He apologized, then he left the room.

Show examples from the web [+]

Overlapping responsibilities default to federal, then to state.
File was e-mailed and then erased.
Have to charge her double then.
Well then, then they've left town.
I used conditioned response, then environmental enhancement.
And then Friday, then Saturday.
Shower and then nap and then warehouse.
Korea first, then German elections, then commercial television.
First, they restore power, then communication, then transportation.
Tina then started jacking them. Charlie then landed one weighing 5 pounds.
But then he began to exaggerate, and then...
Since then sends the state aircraft around and then throwing bombs at the wrong party.
I like how the lines just go straight and then up and then down and then straight and then up and then down.
First it was Ben, then Ricky, then Ben, then some weird guy, then Ben, then Ricky.
But then we had our first argument, and then another one, and then another one, and...
You know, first her, then you, then her, then me.
Maytag fridges: Press Options, then Water Filter, then Reset, and then Yes.
And then she's hitting him, he's defending himself, And then she gets a knife, And then...
So one piece led to two, then three, then five, then 17.
First two people know, then four, then eight, then 16.

Alternatives:

next
after that
subsequently
following that
in that case

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so vs then

"so"

"then"

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