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Fewer vs. Less

Fewer refers to things that are countable.

Example: We had fewer people at the fundraiser than we had hoped.
Example: Fewer tornadoes occurred this year than last year.

Generally, less refers to things that are not countable.

Example: Sue has less concern for her dog’s safety now that the backyard fence is completed.
Example: Less talking would help my concentration.

However, the expression less than is used in front of a plural noun that denotes a measure of distance, amount, or time.

Example: We will go on vacation in less than four weeks.
Example: She owes him less than $30.
Example: We had less than 25 miles to go but ran out of gas.

Less or fewer may be used with plural nouns with the expression no ___ than.

Example: No less than 300 people showed up for the concert. OR No fewer than 300 people showed up for the concert.

Use less with the expression or less.

Example: Write a paragraph about an environmental issue in 200 words or less.

Pop Quiz

1. I need less/fewer advice and more open-minded questions.
2. We had less/fewer injuries on the team than our coach expected.
3. No fewer/less than eight students flunked the exam.
4. We had fewer than/less than two hours before we had to take the exam.
5. Fewer/Less seats were filled for the concert because of the rain.
6. No fewer/less than 30 people applied for the job.
7. The muffin should cost a dollar or fewer/less.

Answers

1. less
2. fewer
3. fewer OR less
4. less than
5. fewer
6. fewer OR less
7. less

Posted on Wednesday, April 18th, 2007 at 12:46 am

12 Comments

12 Responses to “Fewer vs. Less”

  1. atique says:
    May 4, 2007 at 6:32 am

    Hi Jane
    Yes It is
    because if we use fewer, it means we are talking about things which are countable. And if people use the word “Less” It means they are talking about such things, are not countable

    Reply
  2. Jane says:
    May 4, 2007 at 3:22 pm

    Right!

    Reply
  3. Josh says:
    May 8, 2007 at 1:02 am

    So what about “a few less”? I was watching a Hyundai ad that referred to the number of cup holders in the Santa Fe compared to a Land Rover, and Kelsey Grammar’s voice over mentioned “$13,000 less… and a few less cup holders.” Is “few less” a grammatically correct substitute for “fewer”?

    Reply
  4. Jane says:
    May 9, 2007 at 1:22 am

    “A few less” is not a correct substitute for “fewer.” However, as we know, advertisers care little about grammar, even when the last name of their spokesperson is an almost match (Kelsey Grammer).

    Reply
  5. josh says:
    October 14, 2010 at 5:40 am

    hey on your pop quiz your not consistent with your spelling of numbers!! you say “eight” then you say “30″ haha just thought i’d point that out…

    Reply
    • Jane says:
      October 14, 2010 at 10:37 am

      What is the sentence? If referring to different things, “eight’ would normally be written out and “30″ would be in numerical form. If referring to the same thing, then you are right that I should have used numbers or wording for both.

      Reply
  6. Ivan says:
    January 8, 2011 at 9:58 pm

    Well, at least in publishing, numbers ten and under should be written in letters, and anything above may be written as numbers. Just one of the niceties of style. The style police will not get you if you decide not to observe this rule in your e-mails. :)

    As a foreign-born, I enjoy the discussion of the finer points of the English language and, there being no Academy as in France, our discussions are destined to go on forever.

    Reply
    • Jane says:
      January 9, 2011 at 1:59 pm

      You will find different opinions on this subject. For example, Chicago Manual of Style advises spelling out whole numbers from zero through one hundred and certain round multiples of those numbers. There are numerous exceptions to the rule. The important thing is to be consistent.

      Reply
  7. Deem says:
    May 13, 2011 at 11:07 am

    Got into an argument today with a friend when I said “one less thing to worry about.” She said, I have to use “fewer” because “thing” is countable. I said, you need two or more (i.e., plural form) for “fewer” to be used.

    Who’s right?

    Reply
    • Jane says:
      May 14, 2011 at 2:13 pm

      This is a very good question and the answer seems to be open to interpretation. If you go by the traditional rule that holds that fewer is used with expressions denoting things that can be counted (even though it would be a challenge to count every “thing” that one has to do), then you would use fewer. However, in this case, the “thing” that is being counted is singular. Even though fewer is correct for countable things, it is awkward when that quantity is one. This is where the debate comes in. You may find the following links interesting. The first one is a Q&A from the Chicago Manual of Style and the second is a lively discussion from a linguisitc blog. In my opinion, I prefer the sound of either “I have fewer things to worry about” or “I have one less thing to worry about.”

      http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/CMS_FAQ/LessorFewer/LessorFewer01.html

      http://literalminded.wordpress.com/2005/04/05/when-less-is-fewer/

      Reply
  8. Lil says:
    September 13, 2011 at 12:12 pm

    Is it correct to say:

    We educate less than 50% of the children.

    or

    We educate fewer than 50% of the children.

    Reply

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