Difference Between Few & A Few

Few vs a Few

Understanding the distinction between few and a few will enable you to use these terms effectively in the appropriate context. A few is a derivative of few, which can function as a pronoun, adjective, determiner, and noun in the English language. The origin of the word few lies in Old English words fēawe and fēawa. Additionally, few is used in various phrases, such as every few, few and far between, and a good few.

Key Takeaways

• A few is used to express a number or quantity of objects or people and sometimes suggests a small number of some object or people.
• Few is used to emphasize how small a number of people or things is, and when preceded by “the,” it refers to the minority of people or the elect.
• The primary difference between the usages of few and a few is that a few expresses a number, while few emphasizes the smallness of a number of people or things.

What does A Few mean?

The term a few is utilized to express a number, as illustrated in the example sentence below:
I took a few mangoes to my home.
In this sentence, the word ‘few’ indicates the number of mangoes. Therefore, the usage of the term a few refers to the quantity of objects or people. A few is occasionally used to suggest a small number of some objects or people, as demonstrated in the example sentences below:
Only a few remained after the meeting was over.
The whole class only got a few leaflets.
In the first sentence, the usage of a few implies that a small number of people remained after the meeting ended. In the second sentence, the usage of a few indicates that the whole class only received several leaflets. The use of a few conveys the idea of ‘better than nothing,’ as demonstrated in the sentence below:
There are a few cakes in the box.
In this instance, the notion of ‘more than expected’ is conveyed by the use of a few. However, this meaning is dependent on the context in which the expression is used.

What does Few mean?

Conversely, the word few has the following meaning, as explained by the Oxford English Dictionary: it is “used to emphasize how small a number of people or things is.”
There are few books on the shelf.
In this sentence, the usage of the word few implies that there are only several books on the shelf. When the article ‘the’ is placed before the word few, it becomes the noun few. In this sense, the few refers to the minority of people or the elect. Consider the following example to understand how this ‘the few’ is used in sentences:
Comfort and luxury are not just for the few.
In the above sentence, the few refers to the minority. Thus, the meaning of the sentence is that comfort and luxury are not solely for the minority.

What is the difference between Few and A Few?

• A few is used to express a number, while few is used to emphasize how small a number of people or things is. This is the primary distinction between the usages of few and a few.
• A few sometimes suggests a small number of some objects or people.
• The use of a few conveys the idea of ‘better than nothing.’
• Furthermore, the few refers to the minority of people or the elect.