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Commonly Confused Words
After/Later
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After vs. Later
After
/ˈæftər/
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Means coming later than something else in time or order
Examples:
I go to bed
after
dinner.
She starts work
after
breakfast.
Synonyms:
following
subsequent
ensuing
Antonyms:
before
prior
preceding
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Later
/ˈleɪtə/
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Referring to a time in the future; after the present time or a specified time.
Examples:
See you
later
, goodbye!
I will do my homework
later
tonight.
Synonyms:
after
subsequently
afterward
Antonyms:
earlier
sooner
before
Learn more about synonyms and antonyms
Ways to tell them apart:
After
is used in relation to events or actions that occur one following the other.
Later
is used when referring to a time that comes after the present or a specified time in the future.
You often use
after
with conjunctions or prepositions, whereas
later
is typically used as an adverb.
Think of
after
as a sequence (
first this, then that
), whereas
later
suggests something of a waiting period or delay.
If you
re talking about two actions, you would say the second happened
after
the first, but you might respond
I
ll do it later
when delaying an action.
When to use after:
When to use later:
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