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Grammar · Nouns, articles & agreement · B1 · Intermediate

Fewer vs less

Last updated 21 July 2026

In short

'Fewer' modifies plural countable nouns (fewer cars, fewer mistakes) and 'less' modifies uncountable nouns (less traffic, less time). The rule is one of the most policed in English, even though native speakers routinely break it in casual signs like '10 items or less' — for IELTS Writing and Speaking, keep the distinction strict.

Fewer vs less at a glance

FewerLess
Used withPlural countable nouns: fewer cars, fewer mistakes, fewer optionsUncountable nouns: less traffic, less money, less information
With numbers + a measured unitNot used directly before a bare number + unit of measurementStandard for amounts, money, distance, time, weight: 'less than $50', 'less than 10 minutes'
'...than' + countable pluralGrammatically correct: 'fewer than 20 students'Extremely common informally, but considered incorrect in formal writing: 'less than 20 students'
ExampleFewer people are smoking than a decade ago.There is less pollution than a decade ago.
Real-world usagePreferred by style guides, editors and IELTS examinersCommon on supermarket signs ('10 items or less') and in casual speech, even with countable nouns
Comparative offewlittle

What is the difference between fewer and less?

'Fewer' is the comparative of 'few' and belongs with plural countable nouns you can count individually: fewer buses, fewer mistakes, fewer opportunities. 'Less' is the comparative of 'little' and belongs with uncountable nouns you measure rather than count: less traffic, less noise, less confidence.

The test is simple: if you can put a number in front of the noun (three buses, five mistakes), use 'fewer'. If you can't (you can't say 'three traffics'), use 'less'.

  • Fewer flights were cancelled this week than last week.(flights = countable → fewer)
  • There was less turbulence on this flight than usual.(turbulence = uncountable → less)
  • There was fewer traffic than expected.(→ less traffic — 'traffic' is uncountable)

Fewer or less with numbers, money and time?

Numbers get confusing because money, distance, time, weight and age are usually treated as a single measured amount rather than a set of separate countable units — so they take 'less', even though a number follows. 'Less than five years' measures one span of time, not five separate 'years' you're counting individually.

Contrast this with genuinely countable things measured in the same units: 'fewer than five students' counts five distinct people, so 'fewer' is correct. The difference is whether you are counting discrete items or measuring a single quantity.

  • The repair cost less than $200.(money treated as one amount)
  • We finished the test in less than an hour.(time treated as one span)
  • Fewer than ten applicants met the deadline.(applicants are discrete, countable people)

Why do supermarket signs say '10 items or less'?

The most famous violation of the fewer/less rule is the supermarket sign '10 items or less', which should strictly say '10 items or fewer' because 'items' is a plural countable noun. The sign has existed for decades, and most native speakers don't notice anything wrong with it — a sign of how far 'less' has spread into countable contexts in casual English.

Some grammarians argue the phrase isn't a mistake at all, treating the whole expression as a single quantity rather than counting the items one by one. Either way, it remains informal: style guides, newspapers and exam markers still expect 'fewer' with countable nouns in anything resembling formal English.

  • Express checkout: 10 items or fewer.(the formally 'correct' version)
  • This queue is for customers with fewer bags.
  • This queue is for customers with less bags.(→ fewer bags — 'bags' is countable, even on casual signage)

Fewer or less — which is safe for IELTS?

For IELTS Speaking and Writing, treat the rule as strict: 'fewer' for anything you could count one by one, 'less' for anything you measure. Examiners and markers are trained to notice this specific slip, and getting it right is an easy, low-effort accuracy point in the Grammatical Range and Accuracy / Lexical Resource criteria.

In Task 1 data description, this distinction comes up constantly when comparing figures: fewer people, fewer countries, fewer units sold (countable) versus less spending, less demand, less unemployment (uncountable).

  • Fewer graduates chose engineering in 2020 than in 2010.(graduates = countable)
  • Overall spending on education was less in 2020 than in 2010.(spending = uncountable)
  • Less graduates chose engineering in 2020.(→ Fewer graduates — countable nouns need 'fewer', even in fast spoken answers)

Common mistakes with fewer vs less

Real learner errors, corrected and explained — the fastest way to stop repeating them.

There were less visitors to the museum this year.

There were fewer visitors to the museum this year.

'Visitors' is a plural countable noun, so the comparative must be 'fewer', not 'less'.

I have fewer money than I thought.

I have less money than I thought.

'Money' is uncountable, so it takes 'less'; 'fewer' only modifies plural countable nouns.

We need less mistakes in the final draft.

We need fewer mistakes in the final draft.

'Mistakes' is countable and plural, so 'fewer', not 'less', is correct.

It took her fewer than an hour to finish the route on a bike.

It took her less than an hour to finish the route on a bike.

A single measured span of time ('an hour') takes 'less', not 'fewer', even though a number is involved.

Less students attended the seminar than expected.

Fewer students attended the seminar than expected.

'Students' is countable, so the correct comparative is 'fewer' — this is one of the most common fewer/less errors even among native speakers.

Fewer vs less in IELTS

Grammatical Range and Accuracy is 25% of your Speaking and Writing scores — here is where this structure earns marks.

Speaking

  • When comparing quantities in Part 3 opinion answers ('Do you think fewer people read books now?'), matching fewer/less to countable/uncountable nouns is a reliable Grammatical Range and Accuracy signal — examiners notice it precisely because so many candidates get it wrong.
  • It's safe to mirror examiner phrasing: if they ask 'Are there fewer job opportunities now?', reuse 'fewer' in your answer rather than defaulting to 'less' for everything.

Writing

  • In Task 1, describe falling countable data with 'fewer' ('Fewer households owned a car in 1990') and falling uncountable data with 'less' ('Less electricity was consumed in summer') — mixing them up is a common accuracy deduction.
  • In Task 2, precise fewer/less use signals careful control of grammar to the examiner — a Band 7+ script rarely, if ever, uses 'less' with a countable plural noun.

Practise fewer vs less now

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Question 1 of 5

This year the company hired ___ (comparative of 'few') graduates than last year.

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Check this rule in your own writing

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Related lessons

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between fewer and less?
'Fewer' is used with plural countable nouns you can count individually — fewer cars, fewer people. 'Less' is used with uncountable nouns you measure rather than count — less money, less time. The type of noun that follows decides which word is correct.
Is '10 items or less' grammatically correct?
Strictly, no — 'items' is a plural countable noun, so the prescriptive rule requires 'fewer'. However, 'less' has become extremely common in this exact phrase and on signage generally, so most speakers don't notice it. Formal writing and exams still expect 'fewer'.
Why do we say 'less than five minutes' instead of 'fewer than five minutes'?
Time, money, distance, weight and age are usually treated as a single measured amount rather than separately counted units, so they take 'less' even with a number: 'less than five minutes', 'less than $10'. 'Fewer' is reserved for genuinely separate countable items, like 'fewer than five emails'.
Is 'fewer than' or 'less than' correct before a number?
It depends on what follows the number. Before countable nouns, use 'fewer than' (fewer than 20 students). Before uncountable nouns or measured quantities like money, time and distance, use 'less than' (less than $20, less than 20 minutes).
Which is safer for IELTS: fewer or less?
Always match the word to the noun type: 'fewer' for countable plural nouns, 'less' for uncountable nouns. This is a well-known error examiners are trained to spot, so getting it consistently right is an easy way to protect your Grammatical Range and Accuracy score.

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