and then
3 synonyms for and then, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Conjunction — Used to join two events or actions in the order they happen, showing that the second follows the first.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
How to use and then
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
and then some
and then what
first... and then
Neutral, leaning informal. Very frequent in speech and narrative.
Frequently asked questions
Is it wrong to keep writing and then in a story?
It is not grammatically wrong, but repeating it flattens writing into a list of events. Vary it with after that, once, later, meanwhile, or simply start a new sentence — editors flag chains of and then more than almost anything else in beginners' prose.
Do you put a comma before and then?
Use one when what follows is a full clause with its own subject: 'She left, and then the lights went out.' When the subject is shared, no comma is needed: 'She left and then came back.'
What is the difference between and then and after that?
They mean the same, but and then joins clauses inside one sentence, while after that usually opens a new one. After that also points back more explicitly to the event just described.
