Question 1

What is the difference between Fewer and Less?

Accepted Answer

Use fewer with plural nouns you can count (fewer cars, fewer people) and less with nouns you can't (less traffic, less water). The big exception is measurement: with periods of time, distances, money and similar amounts, less than is the standard choice even though the units are countable: 'less than two weeks', 'less than 10 miles'.

Question 2

How do I know if I mean Fewer rather than Less?

Accepted Answer

Readers who land here meaning Fewer rather than Less are usually searching for phrases like “fewer or less”, “10 items or less”, “less people or fewer people”.

Aspect	Fewer	Less
Goes with	Plural countable nouns	Uncountable nouns
Example	'Fewer cars on the road'	'Less traffic on the road'
With numbers	Individual people or items: 'fewer than ten contestants'	Time, distance, scores: 'less than 10 miles'
Comparative of	Few	Little

Side by side

Which one did you mean?

Fewer

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