Less vs. Fewer: How to Choose

Use fewer with things you count one by one, and less with amounts you do not usually count individually. So you have fewer apples but less fruit. The main exception is when a countable amount is treated as a measurement, such as time, distance or money.

Count the things, or measure the amount?

Use fewer before plural countable nouns: fewer emails, fewer chairs, fewer mistakes. Use less before uncountable nouns: less noise, less water, less information.

Compare these sentences:

• We received fewer complaints this month. (Complaints are separate, countable items.)
• We received less feedback this month. (Feedback is treated as a general amount.)

The choice depends on the noun, not on whether the amount is large or small. You can have less rice or fewer grains of rice: rice is uncountable, while grains are countable.

When “less” works with a number

Use less when a number describes a total amount or measurement, even if the unit is normally countable:

• The drive takes less than two hours.
• The package weighs less than five kilograms.
• I paid less than $30.

Here, hours, kilograms and dollars express time, weight and money as measured amounts. If you mean separate items rather than a measurement, use fewer: We hired fewer than five people. In careful edited English, fewer people is the usual choice because people are countable. You may hear less people in informal speech, but it is often avoided in formal writing.

A useful boundary: “one less” and “less than”

One less is a common expression before a singular countable noun: We need one less chair. This is standard, even though chairs are countable.

With less than, the noun after the number matters. Compare:

• Less than ten minutes passed. (Minutes measure a period of time.)
• Fewer than ten guests arrived. (Guests are countable individuals.)

In short, ask whether you are talking about an amount or measurement, or about separate items. That usually makes the choice clear.