is much fewer

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "is much fewer" is not correct in standard written English.
The correct form would be "is much less" when comparing quantities. Example: "The number of participants this year is much less than last year."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

22 human-written examples

However, what we're told from recent figures is that the number of civilians there is much fewer than thought.

BBC

Although more than 4 billion unique IP addresses are available with the current version of IP, the number of unique network numbers is much fewer.

Building Cisco Remote Access Networks

On the other hand, success rate in the case that a device runs out of battery charge is much fewer (around a 30%% fewer) than the aggregated rate.

EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking

It can be observed that Algorithm 1 is called by ASNSSS at most 24 times which is much fewer than invocations performed by exhaustive search and also ESNSSS.

EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking

If the number of garnet crystals is much fewer than the number of reactant crystals, the evolution of garnet size and degree of supersaturation should follow path-A.

Progress in Earth and Planetary Science

Typically, the number of measurements in CS is much fewer than that in Nyquist sampling, thus leading to a significant reduction in sampling rates.

EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

38 human-written examples

But they are much fewer and farther between, with a higher proportion of body-conscious foreigners.

The New York Times

In land-use accounting, facts are much fewer and further between.

The Guardian

"The town is much smaller, so the business opportunities are much fewer unless you're in tourism, medicine or construction".

The New York Times

Without all the infrastructure established with and supported by federal taxes, there would be much fewer worthwhile jobs for Americans.

The New York Times

Douglas McNeill, analyst from Blue Oar Securities, says: 'We are heading in the direction where there are much fewer regulatory obstacles to consolidation.

The Guardian - Business

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When comparing quantities, use "less" for uncountable nouns and "fewer" for countable nouns. Since "much" typically modifies uncountable nouns, pair it with "less" instead of "fewer". For example, use "much less" or "far fewer".

Common error

Avoid using "fewer" with "much" as it's grammatically incorrect. "Fewer" is for countable items, while "much" implies an uncountable quantity where "less" is appropriate. Instead of saying "is much fewer", try "is much less" or "are far fewer" to ensure grammatical accuracy.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "is much fewer" functions as a comparative adjective phrase, aiming to indicate a smaller quantity. However, as noted by Ludwig AI, it is grammatically incorrect. The examples illustrate attempts to use it in contexts requiring comparisons of quantity.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

52%

News & Media

33%

Wiki

4%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "is much fewer" is frequently used, but Ludwig AI flags it as grammatically incorrect. "Fewer" should be used with countable nouns, while "much" modifies uncountable nouns. Therefore, "is much less" or "are far fewer" are better alternatives. Despite its common occurrence, especially in scientific and news-related content, aiming for grammatical precision by using correct alternatives will significantly improve clarity and credibility in writing. Be sure to use alternatives like "is significantly less" or "is considerably less" for better accuracy.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

is significantly less

Replaces "much fewer" with the grammatically correct "less", emphasizing a notable difference in quantity.

is considerably less

Similar to "significantly less", but suggests a more substantial reduction.

is substantially less

Emphasizes that the quantity is notably smaller than before.

is far less

Uses "far" to indicate a significant difference in amount, instead of using the ungrammatical 'fewer'.

is much smaller

Focuses on size rather than number, but retains the meaning of a reduced quantity.

is greatly reduced

Emphasizes the act of reducing rather than comparing a quantity.

is markedly diminished

Highlights a clear and noticeable decrease in quantity or importance.

is a lot less

An informal alternative that uses "less" instead of the incorrect "fewer."

is substantially lower

Focuses on a decrease in level, degree, or rank, rather than number.

is a good deal less

Indicates a significant difference, while correcting the grammar.

FAQs

What is the correct way to say that a quantity is significantly reduced?

Instead of the grammatically incorrect "is much fewer", you can say "is significantly less", "is considerably less", or "is substantially less".

Is it correct to use "fewer" with "much"?

No, it is generally not correct. "Fewer" is used with countable nouns, while "much" is used with uncountable nouns. The correct phrasing would typically involve using "less" with "much", as in "is much less".

What alternatives can I use for "is much fewer" in a sentence?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives like "is far less", "is significantly less", or "is much smaller".

What is the difference between "is much fewer" and "is much less"?

"Is much fewer" is grammatically incorrect because "fewer" is used for countable nouns. "Is much less" is the correct form when referring to an uncountable quantity or amount.