The supermarket sign “10 Items or Less” annoys many people who internalized the received rule that less is used with mass nouns and fewer is used with countable nouns. However, there are exceptions.
Grammarly
Use fewer when you’re discussing countable nouns, or those you can physically count. However, less is acceptable when describing bulk quantities such as money, time, and distances.
Countable Nouns
Countable nouns are those that can be counted. They can be singular – a dog, a house – or plural – a few books, lots of oranges. Countable nouns can also be modified by quantifiers such as a bit, a lot of, or a few. Countable nouns can also take the indefinite articles a and an, as well as the prepositions less and much.
Unlike countable nouns, uncountable nouns cannot be pluralized and they do not take the indefinite articles a or an. They can, however, be modified by quantifiers like a bit, a lot of, and a few, as well as the prepositions less, little, and much. Uncountable nouns can be used with either a countable verb or a noncountable verb depending on the context in which they are being used.
There are fewer cats than dogs in the yard. She has little more courage than she needs. They have less money than we do. The amount of time available is less than we thought it would be. It’s important to keep in mind that “less” can be a quantifier, a preposition, and/or a verb, so it should always be used with a countable noun (as well as a number) if it’s being used to describe something specific and tangible that can be counted or measured.
It’s easy to get confused about the use of less and fewer, especially with nouns that don’t have a physical form (e.g., happiness, love, music). While it may be hard to put a number on these intangible concepts, they can still be counted. For example, you can have 10 ideas, three goals, or two plans. You can have a few or many friends, or you can have plenty of love and happiness.
Although these rules are fairly set in stone, there are exceptions. Less should be used with a countable noun when it’s being used to quantify a number, such as time, money, or weight. Similarly, less should be used with noncountable nouns when it’s being used to compare quantities, such as 12 items or less. But, for the most part, these are the only situations where the rules of less vs. fewer really apply. If you’re wondering whether to use less or fewer, refer back to this guide for help! Have you ever wondered what makes a word confusing? Let us know in the comments!