Use fewer for a smaller number of countable units and less for a smaller amount or a lower degree. A countable noun names something you can number directly, as in one cup and two cups. A mass noun presents something as an amount, as coffee does when it means the drink itself. If a café sets out fewer cups and pours less coffee, the first phrase compares the number of cups and the second compares the amount of coffee.
Decide what the noun means in this sentence
Try how many? for a count and how much? for an amount. How many chairs? points to fewer chairs. How much furniture? points to less furniture. To count the individual objects with the word furniture, add a unit and say fewer pieces of furniture. Cambridge English Grammar Today.
Some nouns take either form, depending on the meaning. A test kitchen uses less chicken when the recipe calls for a smaller amount of meat. A farmer raises fewer chickens when the flock has a smaller number of birds. At the café counter, two coffees means two servings, so the staff can also say they sold fewer coffees that afternoon.
Use fewer for individual units
A library might report fewer late returns this month or say that fewer than 20 people attended the workshop. The count is of returns or people. Once the noun is clear, you can omit it. Thirty people registered last week. Fewer registered this week.
Use less for amounts and degree
The new printer uses less ink describes a decrease in the amount of ink. The new printer is less noisy uses less before an adjective to express a lower degree. The printer jams less often uses it before an adverb. Cambridge on the uses of less.
Treat measurements as totals
A measurement can represent one total even when the unit looks plural. Use less for a duration, a sum of money, or a distance measured this way. Use fewer when the sentence counts distinct things.
| What you compare | Measured total | Count of separate things |
|---|---|---|
| Time | The repair took less than 20 minutes. | We booked fewer 20-minute appointments. |
| Money | I paid less than ten dollars. | The cash drawer held fewer ten-dollar bills. |
| Distance | The trail is less than three miles long. | The trail has fewer mile markers. |
A percentage expresses a share. In Less than 25 percent of applicants qualify, less applies to the percentage and qualify agrees with applicants. A sentence that gives a head count can say Fewer than 25 applicants qualify. MLA on measurements and percentages.
English speakers have used less with counts for centuries. Some constructions remain ordinary in edited writing, including one less item when a shopper puts something back. Merriam-Webster’s usage guide.
What about “10 items or less”?
10 items or less is a familiar checkout sign. You will also see 10 items or fewer, especially where a house style calls for fewer with countable nouns. Up to 10 items gives shoppers the same limit. Cambridge on less and fewer at the checkout.
Name what changed
In a report, change less orders to fewer orders if the writer is reporting the number of orders. If the writer means spending, ask which figure changed.
Customers spent less per order on average reports a drop in average order value. Customers spent less overall reports a drop in total spending. The wording tells readers which figure to look for.
Practice choosing fewer or less
- Choose a word for each blank. We used ___ envelopes and ___ paper this month.
- Explain the difference between The archive received fewer papers and The archive received less paper.
- Complete the invoice note. The repair cost ___ than $60. Then use the other word to describe the number of bills in the till.
- Write a sign for a lane that accepts 10 items, including exactly 10, under a house style that prefers fewer with counts.
- Choose a word for each blank. ___ than 30 percent of members renewed. ___ than 30 members asked for a printed receipt.
- Edit The redesigned form has less questions and feels fewer confusing. Explain what each word modifies.
Show answers and explanations
- Fewer envelopes and less paper. You can number the envelopes. Here paper names the material.
- Fewer papers could mean fewer individual documents. Less paper describes a smaller amount of the material.
- The repair cost less than $60. The till held fewer bills than it did yesterday. The cost is one sum. The bills can be counted individually.
- 10 items or fewer. Fewer follows the specified style, and the wording includes the upper limit of 10. Up to 10 items also works if the wording is flexible.
- Less than 30 percent. Fewer than 30 members. The first expression compares a share. The second compares a head count.
- The redesigned form has fewer questions and feels less confusing. Fewer modifies the countable plural questions. Less modifies the adjective confusing.
Related grammar guides
- See how countability affects a, an, and the. English Articles.
- Check how to match the verb to a subject that includes a number or amount. Subject–Verb Agreement.
- Find quick answers for other commonly confused words. Confusing Words.
