less than five transcripts

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "less than five transcripts" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when specifying a quantity that is fewer than five transcripts, often in academic or administrative contexts. Example: "To complete your application, please submit less than five transcripts from your previous institutions."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Wiki

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Exceptions were made if the query cluster contained less than five transcripts; then it was enough to hit all query transcripts in order for a protein to be assigned to that cluster.

BMC Biology

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

AS events supported by less than three transcripts were considered as lowly supported and removed from subsequent analyses.

BMC Genomics

This level of expression represents less than one transcript per cell, although this could be an underestimate due to limitations in primer selection for isoform detection (Fig. 2).

Plosone

The whole process took less than five seconds (metabolites) or 10 seconds (transcripts) per sample from sampling to flash freezing in liquid nitrogen.

Plosone

Additionally, we avoided selecting genes with less than three probes per transcript-specific probe set.

Plosone

Unigenes and transcript isoforms with less than five mapped reads were flagged as spurious and were removed from the final assembly.

BMC Genomics

Less than 10? Less than five?

The New York Times

Less than five minutes later, Gibson shot.

The New York Times - Sports

The interview lasted less than five minutes.

The New Yorker

"incubation period less than five hours.

The New Yorker

It all took less than five minutes.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always provide context when specifying a transcript count; clarify why this threshold is significant for your analysis or research.

Common error

Avoid using "less" with countable nouns like "transcripts". The grammatically preferred term is "fewer". While using "less" is common in informal speech, maintaining accuracy in formal writing enhances clarity and credibility.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "less than five transcripts" functions as a quantifier, specifying a numerical limit for the number of transcripts. As Ludwig AI confirms, it's a phrase commonly used in various contexts to indicate a quantity below a certain threshold.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

65%

News & Media

15%

Encyclopedias

10%

Less common in

Wiki

10%

Formal & Business

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "less than five transcripts" is a quantifier phrase used to specify a quantity below a certain threshold, typically in scientific or technical contexts. While grammatically correct, it's often more precise to use "fewer than" for countable nouns like "transcripts". Ludwig AI confirms that it is acceptable, the phrase appears across a range of sources, including science journals, news outlets, and encyclopedias. When using this phrase, it's important to provide context and ensure clarity about the significance of the specified threshold. Remember that precision in academic and scientific writing can greatly enhance the credibility of your work.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

fewer than five transcripts

Replaces "less than" with "fewer than", which is often preferred for countable nouns like transcripts.

under five transcripts

Uses "under" as a simpler alternative to "less than".

not exceeding five transcripts

Formally states that the quantity does not go over five.

a maximum of four transcripts

Specifies an upper limit of four, implying less than five.

no more than four transcripts

Emphasizes that the count does not surpass four.

at most four transcripts

Highlights the highest possible quantity.

up to four transcripts

Indicates an inclusive limit, meaning four or fewer.

a handful of transcripts

Expresses a small, indefinite quantity that is less than five.

few transcripts

A more general term suggesting a small number of transcripts.

a small number of transcripts

Explicitly states that the quantity is small.

FAQs

How to use "less than five transcripts" in a sentence?

You can use "less than five transcripts" to specify a quantity below a certain threshold, such as, "Exceptions were made if the query cluster contained "less than five transcripts"; then it was enough to hit all query transcripts in order for a protein to be assigned to that cluster."

What can I say instead of "less than five transcripts"?

You can use alternatives like "fewer than five transcripts", "under five transcripts", or "not more than four transcripts depending on the context.

Which is correct, "less than five transcripts" or "fewer than five transcripts"?

While both phrases are used, "fewer than five transcripts" is generally considered more grammatically correct because "transcripts" is a countable noun.

What's the difference between "less than five transcripts" and "no more than five transcripts"?

"Less than five transcripts" means the quantity is below five, while "no more than five transcripts" includes five as a possibility. Therefore, "less than" excludes the specified number.