Join In
Twitter
YouTube
Weekly Newsletter
Libraries
A-Z Grammatical Terms
A-Z Confused Words
FAQs by Writers
A-Z Awkward Plurals
Punctuation Lessons
Common Mistakes
(ordered by seriousness) ESL Vocabulary Lists Parts of Speech Lists A-Z Idioms and Proverbs Tests and Games Top Tip Install a grammar checker
for your browser
(ordered by seriousness) ESL Vocabulary Lists Parts of Speech Lists A-Z Idioms and Proverbs Tests and Games Top Tip Install a grammar checker
for your browser
Fewer or Less?
What Is the Difference between "Fewer" and "Less"?
"Fewer" and "less" are easy to confuse because the rules are not as simple as many people believe.- Use "less" when referring to a single item. For example:
- less money
- less cheese
- less haste
- Use "fewer" when referring to more than one item. For example:
- fewer coins
- fewer pieces of cheese
- fewer rats
- less than 4 weeks
- less than 90 degrees
- less than 300 calories

More about "Fewer" and "Less"
The rules on using "less" and "fewer" mean that "less" is always used with non-countable nouns (as they can't be pluralized), and "fewer" is always used with countable nouns.However, remember that there is a quirk. The term "less than" is used with numbers before times and measurements (e.g., less than four days, less than 12 miles).
Example Sentences with "Fewer" and "Less"
- There is less cheese on this plate.
- There are fewer pieces of cheese on this plate.
- There are less pigeons in Trafalgar Square than there used to be.
- In the future, there will be less coins in circulation.
- Fewer people will vote in the forthcoming elections.
"Less Than" with Times and Measurements
Use "less than" (as opposed to "fewer than") with numbers used with times and measurements. For example:- Unemployed? You can get a great job in less than three months. How? Learn to program.
(Author Tucker Max)
- Butterflies cannot fly if their body temperature is less than 86 degrees.
- There are fewer than 10 species left.
- There are less than 10 species left.
- He wanted to eat fewer calories. He limited himself to less than 2000 calories a day.
Common Terms with "Fewer" and "Less"
Here are some common terms with "fewer" and "less":Fewer
- fewer people
- fewer miles
- fewer hours
- fewer calories
- less staff
- less time
- less haste
- less than 3 hours
- less than 45 degrees
- less than 100 calories (Some might use "fewer than" with a non-time or non-measurement like "calories," but you can justify "less than" by claiming this is a measurement of calories.)
A Video Summary
Here is a 1-minute video summarizing this lesson on "fewer" and "less":Adopt the Fewer/Less Ruling
Many people consider the fewer/less ruling to be outdated. It is certainly not well observed by some large reputable companies. For example:
less bags


(Wall*Mart poster)

less napkins


(Starbucks napkin)

less emissions


(Volvo advert)
We advise that you play it safe and adopt the ruling. Using "less" incorrectly may irk your readers. Using "fewer" correctly will showcase your grammar skills.
Ready for the Test?
Help Us Improve Grammar Monster
- Do you disagree with something on this page?
- Did you spot a typo?
Find Us Quicker!
- When using a search engine (e.g., Google, Bing), you will find Grammar Monster quicker if you add #gm to your search term.