Fewer vs Less: Here’s the Difference in Meaning with Sentence Examples

These two word are both comparative quantifiers (words which describe quantities), and less can also act as a comparative degree adverb (a word which describes the degree of an adjective, adverb, or verb). Fewer can only modify nouns, and only nouns which are countable, while less only modifies non-countable nouns (as well as adjectives, adverbs, and verbs).

This may sound confusing, but it is simple:

Comparative quantifiers:

Countable nouns:

Fewer people smoke cigarettes now than 10 years ago.

Non-countable nouns:

There is less water in a lake than in an ocean.

Comparative degree adverb less:

Modifying an adjective:

Sara is less happy in her new job than she was before.

Modifying a verb:

So she also works less, now that she is successful.

Modifying an adverb:

Sara speaks less quickly when teaching than she does with her friends.

More Examples of How to Use “Fewer” in a Sentence

1. “Mass inoculation results in fewer deaths,” the health representative said on the TV.
2. Fewer domestic violence cases against men surface because they are concerned with false masculinity standards.
3. “The police detective discovered fewer than 6 fingerprints on the crime scene,” the lawyer said to the jury.
4. No fewer than 1000 cases were reported for the first time ever since the pandemic started.
5. The children ate far fewer snacks at the birthday party.
6. The shift to online books means fewer trips to bookstores before the semester begins.
7. The supervisor stayed ahead of the planning, resulting in fewer tasks at the day’s end.
8. David made fewer math errors as he practiced every evening before dinner.

More Examples of How to Use “Less” in a Sentence

1. “Had you said less, the matter would have died down,” the mother commented.
2. Microwave the ramen for less than thirty seconds to release maximum flavor.
3. Ian is searching for a less annoying way to earn money.
4. She said, “My trip to Cannes is in less than a month. I am so excited.”
5. After James relocated, he started talking less and less with his best friend from his hometown.
6. The recipe asks for less salt than the amount you added to the pot.
7. Mr. White regrets hiring a less experienced plumber to fix the water damage in his basement.
8. The neighbor gossiped, “She started dating less than three months after her husband’s death.”
9. Lana drinks less wine in public than she does privately.
10. “We demand less mistreatment and more pay,” the employee’s representative said in the meeting.