Commonly Confused Words: Fewer and Less

“Fewer” and “less” both mean “a smaller amount than,” so lots of people use them interchangeably. However, these words are actually different! There are specific times when you need “fewer” and other times when “less” is more appropriate. The rule is straightforward enough, but it has a somewhat shady history that dates all the way back to the 1700s.

The Rule

Before we get into the rule’s murky origins, we need to understand exactly what the rule is.

In general, you should use “fewer” for things you can count and “less” for things you can’t. Put another way, “fewer” refers to number among things that are counted and “less” to amount or quantity among things that are measured (Ebbitt & Ebbitt).

So you would have fewer Lost Boys, pirate ships, and fairies but less magic, bravery, and pixie dust. Here are a few examples:

In Neverland, there were fewer Lost Boys than pirates.

You can count the Lost Boys and the pirates, so “fewer” is appropriate here.

Something was wrong with Tinker Bell: she had less magic today than usual.

You can’t count Tinker Bell’s magic, so “less” is needed.

The Darling children had to do fewer chores in Neverland than back home, so they loved to visit Peter Pan.

You can count the number of chores, so “fewer” works here.

Although she wanted to visit Neverland, Wendy had less enthusiasm than Michael and John because she didn’t want to get in trouble.

“Enthusiasm” isn’t a countable noun (you wouldn’t say “how many enthusiasms do you have?”), so we need “less” instead of “fewer.”

If you can count the noun being described, you need “fewer”; if you cannot count it, you need “less.”

But “Less” Is Greedy

It seems like any time there are two words that mean almost the same thing, one of those words starts to infringe on the other’s territory at least a little bit. (Remember how that also happens with “further” and “farther”?) In the case of “fewer” and “less,” “less” is the greedy one that is always trying to sneak in, even when “fewer” might be more appropriate.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary of English Usage, “‘Fewer’ refers to number among things that are counted, and ‘less’ refers to quantity or amount among things that are measured. […] If we were to write the rule from the observation of actual usage, it would be the same for ‘fewer’: ‘fewer’ does refer to number among things that are counted. However, it would be different for ‘less’: ‘less’ refers to quantity or amount among things that are measured and to number among things that are counted” (emphasis mine).

If you just did a double-take and noticed that the second half of the rule for “less” looks awfully similar to the rule for “fewer,” you might be wondering what the heck is going on. Here’s the deal: When we look at how people have actually used “less” and “fewer” in real life over the past thousand years or so, it becomes obvious that “less” can really be used almost any time that you want to say something decreased (whether it’s a countable noun or not). However, the replacement does not go both ways: “fewer” sounds awkward when used for non-countable nouns.

Here are some examples to help you get the full picture:

Tinker Bell gave less pixie dust to Wendy because she was jealous of her.

This is a totally correct use of “less”: We wouldn’t count pixie dust (you wouldn’t say “I have four pixie dust”), so “less” is true and sounds correct.

The pirates fired less cannon balls this time than they did last week.

Technically, “less” is not correct here. You can count the cannon balls, so “fewer” would be more accurate. However, using “less” in this sentence doesn’t sound wrong. “Less” has infringed on “fewer”‘s territory enough times that it doesn’t seem wrong to us when it’s used for countable nouns. That’s why I left this one orange rather than making it red—although it’s technically wrong (according to the prescribed rule), it’s used frequently in everyday language and would not create misunderstanding.

Captain Hook was in a good mood: he hurled fewer insults at his crew than usual.

This is a totally correct use of “fewer”: You can count insults, so “fewer” is needed.

When Hook heard Tick-Tock the Crocodile coming towards him, he had fewer courage than he had a moment ago.

This is incorrect: “Courage” is not a countable noun, so we should use “less” instead of “fewer.” Not only is it technically wrong but it actually sounds wrong and awkward as well.

It seems unfair that “less” gets to step on “fewer”‘s toes without anyone noticing, but when “fewer” tries to branch out, it’s immediately obvious…but that’s just how it is! Merriam-Webster states that “less” has been used for countable nouns since about 888 AD when King Alfred the Great used it in one of his translations from Latin. So “less” has been trying to take over “fewer”‘s job for HUNDREDS of years!

Instances Where “Less” Is Preferred (Even When “Fewer” Seems Correct)

In some instances, “less” is not only acceptable for countable nouns, it’s actually preferred. When sums of money, units of time, or distances are involved, “less” is often the way to go. This is because those units are usually thought of as bulk amounts and not individual, countable numbers.

Peter Pan and the Darling children flew less than 50 miles.

Although we can count miles (which would make it seem like “fewer” would be the better choice here), “less” is actually preferred because it sounds more natural (distances).

Wendy had known Peter Pan for less than 24 hours, but she trusted him to get her and her brothers home safely.

“Less” sounds more natural in this instance as well (units of time). What’s significant in this sentence is that the time that Wendy had known Peter was less than 24 hours. We’re not really concerned with the countable noun (the exact number of hours that she’d known him); rather, we care that it’s a lower amount than the total we named.

The pirates found a big treasure chest, but Captain Hook was disappointed that there was less than $10,000 worth of gold inside.

“Fewer” would sound awkward in this sentence, so “less” has taken over, even though you could count the dollars (sums of money). Hook doesn’t care about the exact number of dollars: he cares that it’s less than $10,000.

Here are some more times when “less” is preferred, even when “fewer” would technically be correct based on the rule:

• In the phrase “no less than,” even when it’s countable nouns: “The Darling children had no less than 100 toys.”
• In the phrase “X [items] or less”: You may see signs at your local grocery store notifying customers that certain check-out lanes are for people who have “20 items or less.” Or you might be asked to describe your past work experience in “500 words or less.” Both “items” and “words” are countable nouns, but “less” is usually used in these circumstances.
• Following a number, especially an amount of money: “The treasure chest had $2 million less than Captain Hook expected.”
  • A subset of this exception is that “less” usually follows “one”: “With Tinker Bell out of the way, Captain Hook had one less obstacle to deal with.”

Also, note that a percentage is not a countable noun, even though it’s a number. You’d say “less than X%” not “fewer than X%.”

Here’s the Catch: Some Guy Named Robert Just Randomly Made Up This Rule

Um WHAT?

I’ve been annoyed by the misuse of “fewer” and “less” for most of my editing career. I know the rule, and I like it to be followed. But my entire world was turned upside down when I learned that this random guy named Robert Baker (who wrote Reflections on the English Language) totally made up this rule way back in 1770. In his book, he wrote the following passage:

“This Word is most commonly used in speaking of a Number; where I should think Fewer would do better. No Fewer than a Hundred appears to me not only more elegant than No Less than a Hundred, but more strictly proper.”

So about 250 years ago, this guy said, “I kinda think we should separate ‘fewer’ and ‘less.'” And English teachers were just like, “Heck ya, we think that too now,” and they have not let it go since.

This kind of thing actually happens quite a lot in English. Some author or grammarian has a specific pet peeve, so they tell everyone that they need to follow a rule that they made up. Sometimes it catches on and other times it doesn’t. Robert’s rule certainly gained a LOT of traction, and it’s still relevant today.

So Is It Really a Rule?

The answer is yes…and no. Overall, you SHOULD observe the “less” vs. “fewer” rule when you’re writing an important or formal document, like a résumé or academic paper. However, in more casual, colloquial settings, you should just use your ear and go with your heart, because chances are good that people will understand you, even if you sometimes toss in “less” when “fewer” would technically be correct. (Just remember that you can’t go the other way: “fewer” cannot be used for un-countable nouns.)

The whole “less” vs. “fewer” rule is a good example of prescriptivism vs. descriptivism in the English language.

Prescriptivism vs. Descriptivism

Prescriptivism is “the belief that there are correct and wrong ways to use language and that books about language should give rules to follow, rather than describing how language is really used” (Cambridge Dictionary). Some grammarians believe that we should have tons of rules and enforce those rules with an iron fist. And let’s face it: English is complicated, and having hard-and-fast rules that don’t have any exceptions would be kind of nice sometimes.

However, other folks take a more chill stance when it comes to grammar. They’re the descriptivists.

Descriptivism is “the belief that books about language should describe how language is really used, rather than giving rules to follow saying what is correct and not correct” (Cambridge Dictionary). Rather than inventing and enforcing rules, some grammarians believe that our role is to observe and record, taking a back seat and letting the language develop and change on its own.

In reality, the best view is probably somewhere in the middle. Anyone who thinks they can create and enforce so many rules that English will become completely rigid is delusional. Anyone who thinks English doesn’t need any rules and we should just spew out words without any kind of structure is a grammatical anarchist.

My favorite advice is this: Know the rules. Then, when necessary (and especially for dramatic effect), feel free to break them.

So, yes, please observe the difference between “fewer” and “less”: people will notice if you use them incorrectly. But don’t let it bother you too much if you use “fewer” less often than you technically should, because the main goal in most conversations (written or spoken) is to achieve understanding and successful communication, and the occasional intrusion of “less” where “fewer” should be used is not going to cause a breakdown in meaning.

Sources:

• “Cambridge English Dictionary: Definitions & Meanings.” Cambridge English Dictionary. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/.
• The Chicago Manual of Style. 17th ed. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 2017.
• Ebbitt, D. R., and W. R. Ebbitt. Index to English. 8th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990.
• Einsohn, Amy. The copyeditor’s handbook. 3rd ed. Berkeley and Los Angeles, California: Univ of California Pr, 2011.
• Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage. 14th ed. Taunton, MA: QuadGraphics, 2016.