In our Action Words workshops, there are always people who are surprised to hear that less and fewer are different.
‘Different’ in the sense that they should be used in different situations.
Yes, they mean the same thing but the rule is this:
- Fewer is for things you can count (white papers, reports, office disputes, coffee cups);
- Less is for uncountable things (board room humour, clutter, company spirit, manure).
As per usual in English, there are exceptions.
We usually use less for time, money and distance even though you can count them.
If the taxi driver was rude you might say to your colleague, ‘I hoped you tipped him less than $10’ rather than ‘fewer than $10.’
Interestingly, there is one place where ‘less’ is always used and it is absolutely wrong. You have almost certainly seen it. In the supermarket.
‘10 items or less’!
The items are countable, obviously, so correct usage is ‘10 items or fewer’. But don’t bother wasting your time telling your supermarket manager. In my experience, supermarket managers in Australia and not interested in what customers think.
