Ajescent said:
"Different than" suggests there are 3 items being referred to e.g "Apples are more different than Oranges to tangerines". But in the example I gave, only 2 items are being compared, "than" is incorrect. |
I'm telling you, "than" is an accepted form. Type "Different from, Different to, Different than" in Google or Bing and you'll find a topic that actually covers this.
http://data.grammarbook.com/blog/adjectives-adverbs/different-from-vs-different-than/
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/different-from-different-to-different-than/
Than = compared to
Thus "An apple is different compared to an orange." or "An apple is different than an orange."
EDIT: Links added
I'm not saying it's a preferred use, I'm just saying it is an accepted use.