less clients

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "less clients" is not correct in standard written English.
The correct term is "fewer clients," as "clients" is a countable noun. Example: "Our business has fewer clients this quarter compared to last quarter."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

6 human-written examples

"All of us have less clients than we've had in the past because of the economy, but if they don't have any current clients, there's a reason".

The New York Times

Note that, even if the server sends messages to 12× less clients, we incur in the overhead of including all the recipients' IDs and addresses in the message (messages become much bigger).

Journal of Internet Services and Applications

But there'll be less and less clients I can take".

Huffington Post

Before they could screen and say, 'That guy looks kind of violent, I'm not going to do him.' But now, if they have no money and less clients, they'll take whoever".

Vice

bSubgroup totals are the total sample (n���= 5144) less clients where DRS or item was missing.

BMC Palliative Care

This is in concordance with a previous study conducted in Vietnam, where having five or less clients per day was associated with consistent condom use [ 20].

BMC Infectious Diseases

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

54 human-written examples

For Andres, as a single parent with three children, this promotion would mean he would be doing more team management and less client-related travel, allowing him to spend more time with his kids.

Stanford University

On the other hand, we found little evidence that private providers skimped on less (client) perceptible technical measures of quality.

BMC Health Services Research

Our findings suggest that whilst less educated clients experience limitations in several health literacy domains, their skills are equal to more highly educated clients in other domains.

BMC Public Health

By taking this tack, they are also eliminating the need to have more, less wealthy clients.

The New York Times

For less wealthy clients in particular, exposure to investment banking may seem unduly risky.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always use "fewer" instead of "less" when referring to countable nouns like clients. Remember the rule: fewer for things you can count, less for things you can't.

Common error

Avoid using "less" with countable nouns. "Less" is for uncountable nouns (e.g., less water, less time). Using "less clients" is a common mistake; always opt for "fewer clients".

Linguistic Context

The phrase functions as a quantifier modifying the noun "clients". However, it's grammatically incorrect because "less" should be used with uncountable nouns, not countable nouns like "clients", according to Ludwig AI.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Science

50%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "less clients" is grammatically incorrect; the correct phrase is "fewer clients". "Less" should be used with uncountable nouns, while "fewer" is used with countable nouns. Ludwig AI confirms this grammatical issue. Although found in various sources, including news and scientific articles, it's crucial to use "fewer clients" in formal and professional contexts. Alternatives such as "reduced clientele" or "smaller client base" can also be considered.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

fewer clients

This is the grammatically correct alternative, using "fewer" for countable nouns.

reduced clientele

This uses a different noun to express the client base, indicating a decrease in number.

smaller client base

Replaces "less" with "smaller" and refers to the "client base" instead of clients.

decreased number of clients

More formal and explicit way to state a reduction in client count.

lower client volume

Focuses on the volume or quantity of clients rather than individual count.

a decline in clients

Emphasizes the declining trend in the number of clients.

lesser number of clients

Uses "lesser" which, although not as common as "fewer," still conveys a reduction.

limited number of clients

Implies a restriction or constraint on the number of clients.

restricted clientele

Suggests that the number of clients is intentionally limited or constrained.

a contraction in clients

Suggests an economical downturn and therefore clients have reduced in size.

FAQs

What is the correct way to say "less clients"?

The correct way to say "less clients" is to use "fewer clients". "Fewer" is used for countable nouns, while "less" is for uncountable nouns.

Can I use "less" with countable nouns like "clients"?

No, you should not use "less" with countable nouns like "clients". The grammatically correct term is "fewer clients".

What are some alternatives to saying "less clients"?

Instead of "less clients", you can say "fewer clients", "reduced clientele", or "smaller client base".

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

"Less clients" is grammatically incorrect. The correct phrase is "fewer clients". Use "fewer" for countable items like clients and "less" for uncountable quantities like water or time.