this post was submitted on 29 Jul 2026
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[–] BiggestPiggest@lemmy.world 21 points 1 week ago (2 children)
[–] Fmstrat@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Generally, fewer is used when a number of things can be counted ("fewer problems") and less is used when an amount is measured ("less trouble" or "less time"). However, this is not a strict rule and there are accepted instances of less being used with countable amounts such as "250 words or less," "3 items or less," and especially with money ("less than $20") and distance ("less than 3 miles"). Note that in all these cases, the things considered are often thought of as amounts rather than numbers.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/fewer-vs-less

"38,000 mentions", so "less" is appropriate.

[–] Prathas@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 week ago

Well, they should be "fewer."

[–] DamienGramatacus@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I thought it was, one less and two fewer.

[–] underscore_@sopuli.xyz 1 points 1 week ago

Also “fewer times/occurrences” vs “less often/frequently”

[–] starlinguk@lemmy.world 0 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It is absolutely a strict rule and Merriam Webster can fuck right off.

[–] Fmstrat@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

An entire Wikipedia page exists on this due to the evolution of use. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fewer_versus_less

Even Tesco avoided using "fewer" to keep from getting stuck in this debate.

The rule may have been codified in the 1700s, but plenty of linguistic shifts have occurred since then.