less cells

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "less cells" is not correct in standard written English.
The correct term would be "fewer cells," as "fewer" is used for countable nouns. Example: "In this experiment, we observed that the treatment resulted in fewer cells than the control group."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

53 human-written examples

When Drosophila ATL was expressed at a comparable level, significantly less cells exhibited unbranched ER phenotype (Fig. 3A, 3C, and 3D).

Protein & Cell

Those with lower fibre diameter (16% + PBS; 18% + F68) seemed to host less cells as indicated by the slightly lower density of cells.

Progress in Biomaterials

SSP on both irregular grids (Figure 5b,c) enables resolving the two targets at closer ranges but on the coherence-adjusted grid with less cells.

EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing

This improvement allowed the use of a thousand times less cells than the amount employed before, avoiding the need for cumbersome successive batch cultures.

Journal of Microbiological Methods

The design of the instrument, a new laboratory-scale Fast Centrifugal Partition Extractor (FCPE300®), has evolved from centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC) columns, but with less cells of larger volume.

Journal of Chromatography A

The connective tissue of the adventitia was spongy and less cells than in controls were observed (Fig. 3F).

Plosone

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

6 human-written examples

Wall-less cells would be buffered against osmotic crisis by the protecting biofilm environment.

Biology Direct

Cybrid cell lines are constructed by repopulation of mtDNA-less cells with exogenous mitochondria (King and Attardi, 1989).

Gene

Genome-wide expression profiling of mtDNA-less cells revealed that the nuclear genes encoding carbohydrate metabolism and response to stimulus are induced by at least 3-fold.

BMC Genomics

This result suggested that mtDNA-less cells are adapted for slow growth and repress genes that are involved in mitochondrial function.

BMC Genomics

The cytoskeleton, evolving from filament systems present in prokaryotes [ 73- 77], provided tensional integrity to the wall-less cells and a scaffold for vesicle trafficking.

Biology Direct

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When discussing countable items like cells, always use "fewer" instead of "less". For example, say "fewer cells were observed".

Common error

Avoid using "less" when referring to countable nouns. "Less" is for uncountable nouns (e.g., less water), while "fewer" is for countable nouns (e.g., fewer cells).

Linguistic Context

The phrase "less cells" functions as a quantifier, attempting to describe a reduced quantity of cells. However, as noted by Ludwig AI, this usage is grammatically incorrect. The correct quantifier for countable nouns like "cells" is "fewer".

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

100%

Less common in

News & Media

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "less cells" is frequently used, particularly in scientific literature, to indicate a reduced quantity of cells. However, Ludwig AI points out that this phrase is grammatically incorrect. The correct term is "fewer cells", as "fewer" should be used with countable nouns. Despite its common usage, especially in scientific contexts, it's essential to use the grammatically correct alternative to maintain precision in writing. Remember that "less" is for uncountable nouns while "fewer" is for countable nouns.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

fewer cells

Grammatically correct alternative using "fewer" for countable nouns instead of the incorrect "less".

a reduced number of cells

Rephrasing to emphasize the reduction in quantity, while maintaining accuracy.

a smaller quantity of cells

Emphasizes quantity using "smaller" instead of "less", fitting well in contexts of measurement.

a lower cell count

Concise alternative that focuses on the total count being lower.

decreased cell population

Highlights the diminished size of the cell population due to a reduction.

reduced cell density

Specifically focuses on the density, suggesting a decrease in the number of cells per unit area or volume.

a depletion of cells

Indicates a significant decrease in the number of cells, suggesting a loss or exhaustion.

a deficit of cells

Focuses on the lack or shortage of cells, rather than just a reduction.

diminished cell presence

Emphasizes the reduced existence or visibility of cells in a given context.

scarcer cells

Highlights the increased rarity or limited availability of cells.

FAQs

Is it correct to say "less cells"?

No, it's grammatically incorrect. The correct phrase is "fewer cells" because "cells" is a countable noun. Use "fewer" for countable nouns and "less" for uncountable nouns.

What is the difference between "less" and "fewer" when describing quantity?

"Less" is used for uncountable nouns (e.g., less water, less time), while "fewer" is used for countable nouns (e.g., fewer apples, fewer cells).

What are some alternatives to using "less cells" in scientific writing?

Instead of "less cells", you can use phrases like "fewer cells", "a reduced number of cells", or "a lower cell count" depending on the context.

How can I avoid making the mistake of using "less" instead of "fewer"?

A simple trick is to ask yourself if you can count the item. If you can count individual units (like cells), use "fewer". If you can't (like water or time), use "less".