Use “Fewer” or “Less” Correctly

Introduction

“Fewer” or “Less” is one of the most common questions that writers face. There are grammatical rules about which word to use in certain cases, but it’s easy to be confused when you have two words with similar meanings. It’s hard to know what is correct for each usage. People often use fewer where they need less or less where they need fewer.

Not Interchangeable

The most important thing to remember about “Fewer” or “Less” is that they are not interchangeable.

Remember that “less” means “not as many” and “fewer” means “not as many in quantity.”

Using the word ‘fewer’ when comparing quantities means that there is a greater number than before. For example, if you have two apples and then add another apple to the group, the group now has three apples and you would say that there are “fewer” in this case.

When we use ‘less’ when comparing quantities, we compare it to a singular noun. So in this sentence “The less they know,” we are comparing it to one thing: their knowledge.

Example

FEWER should be used when one can count the items/subjects in question. It is usually used with a following “THAN”.
For example:

1) Today I had fewer than ten phone calls.
2) Fewer awards than advertised were distributed at the Honors Ceremony.

LESS is used for items/subjects that cannot be measured.
For example:

1) You should work less to be healthy.
2) Since we had less snowfall this year, we decided not buy that snowblower.