Most Important Point: fewer talks about a smaller number of countable things.
One nuance: less is widely accepted with measurements (time, money, distance, weight) and set phrases like “250 words or less”. That’s about an amount more than a simple count.
- Countable nouns
- Measurements and “less than”
- Edited English patterns
- Real examples
Fewer means a smaller number of people or things, and it’s the comparative form of few. It shows up when the noun is countable (something that naturally comes in units: books, errors, appointments). The common mix-up is swapping it with less, which is built for amount and mass nouns in many standard contexts. ✅Source
Meaning and Core Idea
Fewer communicates a smaller number when comparing quantities: “fewer meetings,” “fewer emails,” “fewer mistakes.” In grammar terms, it often behaves like a determiner (it sits in front of a noun), but it can also stand alone as a pronoun: “Fewer arrived than expected.” The key idea stays the same: countable items, treated as separate units, not a single mass.
Typical Shape
fewer + plural noun than + comparison countable units
“We had fewer interruptions than yesterday.” “This version has fewer steps.” “There are fewer seats in this room.”
Where Fewer Fits Naturally
The word fewer pairs cleanly with count nouns: nouns that can take a plural and be counted as separate items. In contrast, noncount nouns typically behave like a substance or quantity (think “water,” “money,” “air”), and they usually don’t pluralize in the same way. That count/noncount split is the real engine behind fewer vs less. ✅Source
Countable Nouns That Like Fewer
- errors, typos, mistakes
- people, students, customers
- emails, calls, messages
- tasks, steps, meetings
Noncount Nouns That Prefer Less
- time, noise, traffic
- money, work, effort
- water, coffee, air
- information, advice, equipment
Fewer vs Less: The Practical Distinction
In everyday English, both words can feel close because they often sit where “not as much” lives. In standard usage, fewer tracks a number (countable units), while less tracks an amount (a mass or measurement). Many guides summarize it as “plural count nouns get fewer,” while noncount nouns get less—with a few well-known exceptions for measurements. ✅Source
| Situation | Preferred Word | Example | Why It Sounds Right |
|---|---|---|---|
| Countable plural items | fewer ✅ | “Fewer cars were on the road.” | Cars are separate units; it’s a count. |
| Noncount mass noun | less ✅ | “There was less traffic today.” | Traffic is treated as an amount. |
| Plural count noun with a measurement | less ✅ | “It’s less than 5 miles away.” | “5 miles” acts like a single distance amount. |
| Plural count noun in formal edited prose | fewer ✅ | “We made fewer mistakes this time.” | Mistakes are countable; “number” logic wins. |
| Plural count noun with “or less” phrase | less ✅ | “Submit 250 words or less.” | Idiomatic fixed pattern; it’s framed as a single limit. |
Accepted Exceptions and Gray Areas
Even in careful writing, less appears with plural units when the phrase behaves like a measurement or a single amount. Common patterns include “less than three miles,” “less than ten minutes,” and “250 words or less.” This is widely treated as standard because the focus is the quantity as a whole, not each individual unit. ✅Source
- Measurements: time, distance, weight, and money often take less with “than,” even if the unit is plural (e.g., minutes, miles).
- Fixed limits: “or less” is a common idiom in word counts and similar boundaries; it reads as a cap.
- After one: phrases like “one less reason” are normal because one frames the noun as singular.
- Ordinary plural count nouns: “less mistakes” can appear in speech, but it’s usually avoided in edited text.
Percentages, Fractions, and Statistics
With percentages and fractions, writers often treat the figure as a single quantity, so “less than 5 percent” can be a natural fit. The logic is that the percentage reads like an amount (similar to a sum of money), even though it points back to countable items. That’s why “less than” is commonly defended in percentage expressions. ✅Source
Readable way to think about it: if the phrase feels like a single measurement (“a bit under a limit”), less often sounds natural. If the sentence spotlights individual countable units, fewer usually sounds cleaner.
Examples With Icons
These examples keep the focus on countable nouns for fewer, and amount nouns for less. Each pair shows a natural pattern you’ll see in everyday writing and edited prose.
- ✅ Correct We had fewer meetings this week than last week. countable number
- ✅ Correct I spent less time in traffic today. amount mass
- ✅ Correct The box weighs less than 10 pounds. measurement less than
- ✅ Correct Fewer showed up than we expected. pronoun smaller number
✅ Clean Choices
- fewer errors in the report
- fewer steps in the process
- fewer notifications on the phone
- fewer people in the room
❌ Not Ideal in Edited Writing
- less errors → fewer errors
- less steps → fewer steps
- less emails → fewer emails
- less people → fewer people
Common Mix-Ups and What They Usually Mean
Most confusion comes from nouns that look plural but feel like a single amount. A phrase like “10 miles” is plural on the surface, yet it often functions as one chunk of distance. Meanwhile, nouns like “mistakes” keep a strong unit-by-unit feel, so fewer stays the natural pick.
- Fewer usually signals…
- separate units you could line up and count: files, calls, questions, tickets.
- Less usually signals…
- a single amount you measure as a whole: time, money, water, traffic, plus many measurement phrases.
- Gray areas often include…
- statistics, percentages, and set expressions like “or less” where the phrase reads as a limit.
FAQ
What Does “Fewer” Mean?
Fewer means a smaller number of people or things, usually when comparing two sets. It commonly modifies plural countable nouns such as books or mistakes.
Is “Fewer” Only For Plural Nouns?
Most of the time, fewer sits before a plural count noun (like fewer emails). It can also appear as a pronoun without a noun: “Fewer came than expected.”
Why Is “10 Items Or Less” So Common?
Because less can be idiomatic with countable amounts treated as a single limit, especially in fixed phrasing like “250 words or less.” In many settings, it’s heard as natural even when “fewer” matches the strict count rule.
Is “Less Than 5 Percent” Acceptable?
Often, yes. A percentage frequently behaves like a single quantity, so “less than” can fit naturally, even though the underlying items are countable.
Can “Fewer” Be Used Without “Than”?
Yes. Fewer can appear without an explicit comparison: “There were fewer calls today.” The comparison may be implied by context rather than written out.
What Sounds Most Natural In Formal Writing?
For countable plural nouns, fewer is the clean default. For noncount nouns and many measurement phrases, less is standard. That pairing usually reads as polished and consistent.