Difference Between Less & Fewer

Less vs Fewer

Less and Fewer are two words that are often confused when it comes to their meanings and connotations, though there is a notable difference between less and fewer in terms of their usage. Both less and fewer indicate less quantity. In English grammar, such words are known as adverbs of degree or quantity because as the name implies these adverbs talk about the quantity. Less and fewer are actually the comparative forms of the adverbs little and few respectively. Therefore, this article first presents you with the definitions of the two terms, less and fewer, and then explains how the two are used in different ways.

What does Less mean?

The word less indicates primarily the quantity of an object or a thing as in the sentences given below:
It is good to talk less and work more.
Eat less amount of food during night.
In both the sentences, you can find that the word less is used in the sense of ‘quantity’. Unlike the word fewer, the word less is normally used in the case of uncountable nouns as in the expressions ‘less milk’, ‘less sound’ and the like.
It should also be noted the less too is used in comparison as it is the comparative form of the adverb less. Look at the following examples.
They caught less fish today.
This machine is better. It produces less noise.
In both of the examples given above, the word less is used in comparisons. Though in both we do not see an object with which the items are compared from the meaning we understand that a comparison is made. In the first sentence, less fish today indicates that the amount of fish caught today is compared with the yesterday’s catch. In the second example, the first sentence let us believe that there was another machine.

What does Fewer mean?

The word fewer is used in the sense meaning ‘not many’ as in the sentences given below:
There were fewer books in his bag.
Keep fewer articles in the shelf.
In both the sentences mentioned above, the word fewer is used in the sense of ‘not many’. Interestingly, the word fewer is used in comparison too as it is the comparative form of the adverb few. Look at the examples given below.
There were fewer books than articles in the shelf.
I have fewer shirts than pants.
In both the sentences, the word fewer is used in the comparative sense. In the first sentence, you get the idea that the articles were more than the books in the shelf. In the second sentence, you get the idea that the pants were more in number than the shirts. This is considered a very important usage of the word fewer. It is important to know that the word fewer is normally used in connection with countable nouns. However, the word fewer is also sometimes used in connection with uncountable nouns such as water, money and the like.

Key Takeaways

• Less primarily indicates the quantity of an object or thing and is normally used with uncountable nouns.
• Fewer is used to mean ‘not many’ and is typically used with countable nouns, but can sometimes be used with uncountable nouns as well.
• Both less and fewer are used in comparisons, as they are the comparative forms of the adverbs little and few, respectively.

What is the difference between Less and Fewer?

• The word less indicates primarily the quantity of an object or a thing.
• On the other hand, the word fewer is used in the sense meaning ‘not many.’
• The word fewer is used in comparison as it is the comparative form of the adverb few. Less is also used in comparison as it is the comparative form of the adverb little.
• The word fewer is normally used in connection with countable nouns.
• However, the word fewer is also sometimes used in connection with uncountable nouns such as water, money and the like.

These are the differences between the two words, namely, less and fewer.