How to Decide Whether to Use Fewer Or Less?

The English language is littered with words that at first glance appear to have similar meanings, yet which can easily be confused. Let's explore two favorites. Consider the following two slightly different sentences:

• "Fewer people attended our presentation."
• "Less people attended our presentation."

Do you think the first example above is correct? Or does the second item sound right to you? Some readers might consider that both are fine. After all arguably, most people whose first language is English would instantly understand what the writer is saying in both instances, so isn't that what effective communication is all about?

All fair comments.

Nevertheless, from a grammatical standpoint, only the first example above is correct, yet many today may use the second example by default.

Don't "fewer" and "less" essentially have the same definition? If there are minor differences, does that really matter?

I believe the answer to that question is, yes, if you want to be considered a professional communicator. No if you don't know or care about the differences.

People expect others to make mistakes yet will expect you, as a writer, speaker, presenter or website provider, to know how to write, speak or communicate to a higher than average standard and to do so in a way that is seen as professional.

Key tip: sometimes, the difference between average and outstanding lies in the details. Applying a little more attention to detail can sometimes make a big difference to the outcome of your communication.

A Simple Guideline to Help You Easily Determine When to Use "Fewer" and When to Use "Less"

Here's a simple rule to help you almost instantly make the right choice:

• If the topic to which your sentence refers is plural, use "fewer".
• If the topic is singular, use "less".

For example, in the plural topics of "colors", "diseases" and "rain showers", we can have:

• Fewer colors.
• Fewer diseases.
• Fewer rain showers.

Or in the singular topics of "color", "disease" and "rain", we can have:

• Less color.
• Less disease.
• Less rain.

Even so, I have noticed a trend or tendency even among top UK television news presenters that ignores these subtle differences and many simply prefer to use "less" in almost every instance.

My view is that if you understand when to use "fewer" or "less", although the issue may seem trivial, the end result can give your writing, speaking or presentation an extra touch of professionalism that your audience may notice.

You can merge in the crowd - or you can master your art and stand out. Those who strive to stand out are ideally positioned to prosper.

You decide.