Distinguishing Between How Much & How Many

How Much vs How Many

How much and how many are phrases used with countable and non-countable nouns. People attempting to master the English language often become confused about when to use how much or how many. However, despite the similarities, it’s relatively easy to understand which phrase to use in a given situation. Let’s explore this more closely.

Key Takeaways

• How many is used for countable nouns, such as books, boys, and apples.
• How much is used for non-countable nouns, like milk, sugar, and money.
• Both much and many mean “lots of,” but how much is used for things that cannot be counted, such as sugar and milk, while how many is used for countable nouns.

How Many

We use how many to inquire about the quantity when the nouns in question are countable. For example, consider these sentences:
• How many books are there in your bag?
• How many apples are there in a kilogram?
• How many boys are present in the class?

It is clear that one can count the numbers of boys, apples, and books easily, and the precise answer can be given, specifying the quantity of boys, apples, and books. Many itself means a lot of, but if there are not many books in the bag, the answer can either be the exact number or as not many or just a few to indicate the fact. You see a car in your house, a few cars in a club, but too many cars that you cannot count in traffic jam on a highway. There you make use of too many cars when someone asks how many cars are there on the road.

How Much

How much is a phrase used with non-countable nouns such as milk, sugar, money, and so on. So, if you are short on sugar, you reply with not much when asked how much sugar you have at home. On the other hand, you can say lots of when someone asks how much money you have in your wallet, and if you have many currency notes inside it. However, in general, when you are not sure about the quantity because it is vast and you feel it cannot be counted, it is better to use much.

Much is also used when the noun is singular, as in the case of money, while many is preferred when the noun is plural, such as friends. One can say that it is possible to count money, but then, you count the currency notes and say, “I have 3500 Euros” or “500 dollars,” not much money.

Difference Between How Much and How Many

• How much is used for nouns that do not have plurals, such as money, while how many is used for plural nouns such as books, boys, and apples.
• How much is used for non-countable nouns, whereas how many is used for countable nouns.
• Both much and many mean lots of, but how much is used for things that you cannot count, such as sugar and milk.

For friends, it is always how many, while for money, it is always how much.