Ready for another exciting edition of the Saga of Commonly Confused Words? I thought you would say that. I can practically smell your anticipation. The time has come to tackle the difference between less and fewer. Fortunately, it's pretty easy to remember which is which.
Fewer is used for quantifiable items. If you can put a number to it, fewer is the way to go.
· Fewer people live in the United States than in China.
· I have fewer cookies now than before the movie started.
· I have fewer followers on social media than Selena Gomez.
Less is the word you use for things that are not quantifiable.
· I have less money than Donald Trump.
· He gave me less attention than my obnoxious cousin.
Here are a few examples of the incorrect use of less (they should both have the word fewer):
· I have less friends than I would like.
· There are less dangers in a shopping mall than on safari.
It's a common habit to automatically use less in most situations (to some ears, fewer might sound funny, even when it is used correctly), but this is another one of those word distinctions that is all too often overlooked.
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