Commonly confused B2 · Daily English

fewer vs. less

Use “fewer” for things you can count; use “less” for things you can’t.

What it means

Use fewer with plural countable nouns: fewer people, fewer mistakes, fewer cars.

Use less with uncountable nouns: less time, less money, less water. Exceptions: time, money, and distance are treated as uncountable even with numbers — less than 10 minutes.

💡 If you can put a number directly in front and make it plural, use “fewer”.

Examples

This year we made fewer mistakes.
I have less free time than before.
The express queue is for fewer than ten items.

Quick check

1. Choose the correct word: “There are ___ students in class today.”

2. Choose the correct word: “We have ___ information than we need.”

Use it with a tutor

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