early than

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "early than" is not correct in English and should not be used.
It seems to be a mistaken combination of "earlier than," which is used for comparisons of time. Example: "I prefer to arrive earlier than everyone else to get settled before the meeting starts."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Academia

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Well, better early than never.

The Washington Post

It's better to get answers early than later on.

The New York Times - Sports

Those complicated lessons are better learned early than late.

The Guardian - Books

"But I'd rather be early than too late.

The Economist

Far more people have retired early than anyone predicted.

The New York Times - Magazine

Species richness was significantly higher in early than in later stages of grassland succession.

Landscape and Urban Planning

Better to go through it early than later in the season".

The New York Times - Sports

While Maine pitched better early than late, Peavy had the opposite trajectory.

The New York Times - Sports

"And we thought it's better to leave too early than too late".

The New York Times - Sports

"He'd rather be half an hour early than be stuck in traffic," his wife said.

The New York Times

Is there something suspicious about the fact that he arrived in the town early than scheduled?

The Guardian - TV & Radio

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When comparing times or durations, always use "earlier than" instead of the incorrect "early than".

Common error

Avoid using the adjective "early" directly with "than" for comparisons. "Early" describes a noun, while "earlier" (the adverb) is used to compare times or events.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "early than" functions as an incorrect comparative conjunction. While it attempts to connect two elements by expressing a temporal relationship, it fails due to improper grammatical structure. Ludwig AI points out this error.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

35%

Science

25%

Academia

20%

Less common in

Wiki

10%

Formal & Business

5%

Encyclopedias

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "early than" appears frequently across various sources, it is grammatically incorrect. As Ludwig AI indicates, the correct form for comparison is "earlier than". Despite its prevalence, it should be avoided in formal writing and speech. Alternatives include "sooner than" or simply "before". Its occurrence spans across news, science, academia and informal contexts, yet its use detracts from professionalism. Remember to use "earlier than" to maintain grammatical accuracy.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

earlier than

This alternative uses the correct comparative form of 'early'.

sooner than

This substitutes 'early' with 'sooner', another word indicating time, to create a grammatically correct comparative.

before

This uses a preposition to indicate a time preceding another event.

prior to

A more formal way of saying 'before'.

ahead of

Implies being in front of something in time.

in advance of

Similar to 'ahead of', but more formal.

previous to

Indicates something coming before in a sequence.

preceding

A more formal, almost academic term indicating sequence.

up to

Implies going up to a certain point in time.

in the beginning

Refers to the start of a period, phase, or task.

FAQs

What is the correct way to say "early than"?

The correct way to express a comparison with "early" is to use "earlier than". For example, instead of saying "I arrived early than him", say "I arrived earlier than him".

Can I use "early than" in any context?

No, "early than" is grammatically incorrect and should be avoided in all contexts. Use "earlier than" or other alternatives like "sooner than".

What are some alternatives to "early than"?

Instead of "early than", use "earlier than", "sooner than", or simply "before" depending on the context you are trying to convey.

Why is "early than" considered incorrect?

The phrase "early than" is incorrect because it doesn't use the comparative form of the adjective. When making comparisons, you need to use "earlier than", which is the correct comparative form to show something happened or should happen before something else.