Fewer vs Less at a glance
- fewer
/ˈfjuːə/ · determiner / pronoun
A smaller number of things you can count.
- There were fewer people at the party than we expected.
- I'm trying to drink fewer cups of coffee.
- less
/les/ · determiner / pronoun
A smaller amount of something you can't count.
- I'm trying to drink less coffee.
- This job pays less money, but I have more free time.
How to remember it
If you can put a number in front of it (three cars), use fewer. If you can't (three traffics), use less.
Good to know
In casual speech many people use less with countable nouns, and you'll see supermarket signs like "10 items or less". In exams and formal writing, stick to fewer. Less is also normal with numbers for time, money and distance: "less than 20 minutes", "less than £50".
Common mistakes
Wrong: There are less students in the class this year.
Right: There are fewer students in the class this year.
Wrong: You should eat fewer sugar.
Right: You should eat less sugar.
Quick quiz
1.I've had problems with my laptop since the update.
2.Could you put salt in the soup next time?
3.The new bus takes than an hour to get there.
Pick the right word for each gap.