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Less vs. Fewer

    March 9, 2025
    + 12

    Use less for uncountable or mass nouns.

    Use fewer for nouns that you can count.

    Less

    Use less for quantities that are measured rather than counted:

    • Less time

    • Less effort

    You can’t count effort or time (without using units like minutes or hours), so use less.

    However, there are exceptions:

    • Use less for distances (less than 3 kilometers)

    • Use less for sums of money (less than 50 dollars)

    • Use less for units of time and weight (less than 7 years, less than 10 pounds)

    • Use less for statistics (less than 2,000 people)

    Fewer

    Use fewer for things that can be counted or have a number attached to them:

    • Fewer databases

    • Fewer indexes

    • Fewer status updates

    You can count the number of databases, indexes, or status updates, so use fewer.