Fewer vs Less

Vocabulary Exercise with Fewer and Less

When to Use "Fewer"

"Fewer" is used when talking about things that can be counted individually—these are known as countable nouns. If you can count the items one by one, you use "fewer."

Examples of countable nouns:

Apples
Books
Cars
People
Coins

➡️ Examples:

There are fewer students in the class this year. (You can count the students.)
We need fewer chairs for the event. (You can count the chairs.)
I drank fewer cups of coffee today than yesterday. (You can count the cups.)

Word	Used With	Example
Fewer	Countable nouns (things you can count)	I have fewer books than you.

When to Use "Less"

"Less" is used when talking about things that are not countable individually—these are known as uncountable nouns or mass nouns. If you can’t count something easily and it’s more like a mass or a whole, you use "less."

Examples of uncountable nouns:

Water
Time
Money
Traffic
Sugar

➡️ Examples:

I drank less water today. (You can’t count water drops easily.)
We have less time to finish the project. (Time is not countable.)
There is less noise in the room now. (Noise is not countable.)

Word	Used With	Example
Less	Uncountable nouns (things you can’t count)	He has less patience than his brother.

Key Difference Between Fewer and Less

Word	Use For	Examples
Fewer	Countable nouns	Fewer books, fewer cars, fewer friends
Less	Uncountable nouns	Less water, less time, less sugar

Special Cases

Money:
Even though you can count dollars or coins, we usually use "less" with money because money is seen as a mass noun.

➡️ Example: I have less money than I did last week.
Time:
Time is also considered uncountable, so we use "less" with time.

➡️ Example: We have less time to prepare for the exam.
Distance, Weight, and Amounts: Quantities like distance, weight, and amounts are generally treated as uncountable.

➡️ Example: He ran less than five miles. (Even though "miles" can be counted, distance is seen as a whole.)

➡️ Example: She lost less weight than expected.

Common Errors

Using "less" with countable nouns:

Incorrect: I have less apples than you.
Correct: I have fewer apples than you.

Using "fewer" with uncountable nouns:

Incorrect: There is fewer water in my glass.
Correct: There is less water in my glass.

Using "less" with plural nouns:

Incorrect: There are less people at the party.
Correct: There are fewer people at the party.

Everyday Use

Use fewer when talking about individual, countable things:

➡️ Example: There are fewer cars on the road today.
Use less when talking about things you can’t count individually:

➡️ Example: I’m drinking less coffee these days.

FAQ

Can "less" ever be used with countable nouns?

"Less" is used with countable nouns in specific phrases related to time, money, distance, and measurements:

Example: Less than 20 dollars, less than five miles.

Should I say "fewer" or "less" when talking about people?

You should say "fewer" when talking about people, as people are countable.

Example: There are fewer people at the event this year.

What’s the difference between "less" and "fewer" with percentages?

Use "fewer" for percentages related to countable items and "less" for uncountable items:

Example: Fewer than 30% of the students passed the exam. (Students are countable.)
Example: We used less than 10% of the available time. (Time is uncountable.)

Is "less" informal and "fewer" formal?

No, "less" and "fewer" are both standard in formal and informal contexts. The difference lies in whether the noun is countable or uncountable, not formality.

Why does the grocery store say "10 items or less"?

Technically, it should say "10 items or fewer" since items are countable, but "10 items or less" has become widely accepted in informal usage.