fewer amount

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "fewer amount" is not correct in standard written English.
The correct term is "smaller amount" or "fewer items," as "fewer" is used with countable nouns, while "amount" is typically used with uncountable nouns. Example: "We have a smaller amount of sugar than we need for the recipe."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

12 human-written examples

Compared with traditional methods, this microfluidic system demonstrates the advantages of faster detection, requirement of fewer amount of specimens and reagents, much compact design and lower cost as well as lower risks for human errors.

Biosensors and Bioelectronics

There was significantly fewer amount of cells present after laminar flow exposure compared to the control.

Progress in Biomaterials

Multi-target regression algorithms can compensate for a fewer amount of training instances available for a problem by exploiting the knowledge of a similar problem.

Journal of Cheminformatics

Aiming to identify the fewer amount and the optimal DOTA-linker structure that provides quantitative labeling yields, diverse DOTA-linker systems were conjugated in different amounts to HPMA homopolymers to coordinate trivalent radiometals Me(III)* = gallium-68, scandium-44, and lutetium-177.

EJNMMI Research

MR: Do you prefer recording with a fewer amount of tracks?

Huffington Post

Hence, the higher the rate of bacterial metabolic activity, the fewer amount of the available polysaccharides (such as starch) would be, resulting in prominent changes in the sample's ΔΤ2 when compared to those of the sterile medium (Figure 1).

Plosone

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

48 human-written examples

Nanofibers resulted from this formulation were also more uniform and contained fewer amounts of beads.

Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces

Functional improvements are mainly attributed to enhanced current distribution as well as fewer amounts of incorporated water molecules into the PCMD crystal lattice.

Solid State Ionics

Thus mixing gradient copolymers with a gradient width disparity provides a novel route of achieving the saturated (tensionless) interface with fewer amounts of copolymers and of high flexibility.

Polymer

This was attributed to the higher propensity of crack initiation in the specimen containing fewer amounts of undissolved cementite, where cracks were observed to nucleate at the interfaces between nonmetallic inclusions (Al2O3 and SiO2) and martensite matrix during HCF tests.

International Journal of Fatigue

Compared with the monodisperse counterparts, fewer amounts of gradient copolymers are required to saturate a given interfacial area, when gradient copolymers with a polydispersity of gradient widths are used.

Polymer

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When referring to countable items, use "fewer" with a plural noun. When referring to uncountable substances or abstract concepts, use "less" with the noun. To correct the phrase, use "smaller quantity" or "fewer items".

Common error

Avoid using "amount" with "fewer". "Fewer" is for countable items (e.g., "fewer apples"), while "amount" is for uncountable substances (e.g., "less water"). Use "smaller amount" or "fewer items" instead.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "fewer amount" functions as a quantifier, attempting to specify a smaller quantity of something. However, it's considered grammatically incorrect as per Ludwig AI, because "fewer" is typically used with countable nouns, whereas "amount" is used with uncountable nouns.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

67%

News & Media

25%

Wiki

8%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "fewer amount" is an incorrect construction in standard English. As Ludwig AI points out, "fewer" should be used with countable nouns, while "amount" is for uncountable nouns. Although it appears across diverse sources including science, news, and wiki content, its grammatical inaccuracy makes it less suitable for formal writing. To correct it, consider using "smaller quantity" or "fewer items" depending on the context. It is important to avoid this common error by understanding the distinction between countable and uncountable nouns.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

smaller quantity

Replaces "fewer" with "smaller" and "amount" with "quantity" to correct the grammatical issue.

reduced quantity

Uses "reduced" to indicate a decrease and "quantity" to refer to a measurable amount.

lesser quantity

Employs "lesser" which means smaller in size or degree and "quantity" to refer to a measurable amount.

decreased quantity

Uses "decreased" to specify a reduction in amount and "quantity" to refer to a measurable amount.

smaller volume

Substitutes "quantity" with "volume", typically used for liquids or three-dimensional space.

lower quantity

Replaces "fewer" with "lower" and maintains "quantity" to indicate a smaller amount.

reduced volume

Employs "reduced" with "volume" to indicate that the volume has been lessened.

diminished quantity

Replaces "fewer" with "diminished" and keeps "quantity" to mean reduced amount.

less amount

Directly replaces "fewer" with "less", which is grammatically simpler but less precise.

smaller number

Uses "number" to specify the measure instead of using amount.

FAQs

What is the correct way to say "fewer amount"?

The correct phrase depends on what you are describing. For countable items, use "fewer". For uncountable substances, use "less amount" or "smaller quantity". Examples: "fewer apples" or "smaller amount of water".

Is "fewer" or "less" correct?

"Fewer" is used for countable nouns (e.g., "fewer cars"), while "less" is used for uncountable nouns (e.g., "less water").

What can I say instead of "fewer amount"?

You can use alternatives like "smaller quantity", "reduced quantity", or "smaller number" depending on the context.

What's the difference between "fewer" and "less"?

"Fewer" refers to a smaller number of countable items, while "less" refers to a smaller quantity of something that cannot be counted individually. For example, "fewer errors" vs. "less effort".