Less v. fewer

Less v. fewer

Use less for uncountable nouns (i.e. those that have no plural); use fewer for plural nouns.

The following examples are correct.

Less time, less money, less coffee, less snow, less chocolate, less love, less shopping, less music

Fewer people, fewer students, fewer items, fewer effects, fewer hours, fewer pages

1. She has fewer books than her friend. (Books can be counted)
2. I need less water to make this recipe. (Water cannot be counted)
3. There were fewer people at the party this year. (People can be counted)
4. He has less patience than his brother. (Patience cannot be counted)
5. The store has fewer apples in stock today. (Apples can be counted)