Why are people starting to say "Different to..." instead of "Different than..."?

I’ve never heard it. Than is correct for a comparison. What drives me nuts is people not knowing the difference in then and than.

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/grammar/british-grammar/different-from-different-to-or-different-than

I haven’t heard that yet. Not that I can remember. It would sound odd to me also.

@SnipSnip I would say what drives me nuts is people not knowing the difference BETWEEN then and than.

It should be (for Americans, anyway) “different from,” not “different than.” “Than” is correct for comparative terms (bigger than, older than, shorter than, etc.), but “different” is not one of those terms.

I’ve never heard anyone other than a Brit (or British-educated person) say “different to.” For them, it’s correct. But note, if you are talking about a documentary narrator, that person is reading from a script. The choice of words would have been that of the scriptwriter. It doesn’t mean people are “starting to.”

I’ve never heard it.

@Jeruba….it was a comparative statement. “This bat is different to Mexican bats in the following ways….”

According to Merriam-Webster:

Should you need a guide for your differents, here it is:

If you don’t give a fig for what nitpickers think about your language use, proceed with different than or different from depending on how you feel.

If you give a fig, or part of a fig, use different from, except when beginning a clause, or when to do so would sound terrible.

If you are British, or would like people to think that you spent enough time in the United Kingdom for it to have influenced your approach to language, use different to whenever you feel like it.

@smudges…the question wasn’t between “different from” or “different than.” Read it again.
It also wasn’t meant as an insult. I was just curious. Nothing to start a Facebook fight over.

Americans adopting Britishisms I guess, somewhat the the way that “spot on” is being used more frequently by Americans, or “bollocks”. Never saw those terms used much prior to the advent of the internet.

@JLeslie Yes, that’s better.

@Dutchess_III I was just contributing what I found out. M-W referred to all of them – from, than, and to. I didn’t see it as an insult whatsoever. No offense taken, none intended, either. >8^)