"may sound less" is correct and can be used in written English
It indicates that something may sound or seem less in a certain context or compared to something else. Example: "His argument may sound less convincing when compared to the opposing viewpoint."
But a government that has recently renewed Trident may sound less than convincing.
Of course, getting in a lather about a band that peaked a generation ago may sound less than normal, but it is understandable.
It may sound less than pleasant, but these microbes help the baby's immune system, milk digestion and can protect against infections.
Then there are the longer-term dreams, which may sound less far-fetched as each landmark in space travel grows nearer.
This may sound less than thrilling -- and it's true that the movie's slow, easy hush sometimes tends toward somnolence -- but there is real satisfaction in watching such exact and unpretentious applications of craft.
Then again, given how large the divisions in our politics remain, that may sound less hopeful now than it did the first time he said it, an age or so ago.
They may also sound less like senators if they run early — before they absorb the Beltway vernacular that mistakes phrases like "amendment in the second degree" or "recommit to conference" for comprehensible English.
As a comic premise, this may sound somewhat less than uproarious; something similar afflicted the tormented hero of "Memento".
This may sound much less emphatic than his famous pledge — after the apartment bombings, in 1999, which led to the second Chechen war — to knock out the terrorists in outhouses, but the message is the same.
It is additional reprofiling without problem, without additional burden for our institutional partners Debt reprofiling may sound rather less serious than a bailout -- more of a trim than a savage haircut.
"As corny as it may sound, the less I try to think and the more I go with the flow and gut feeling, the more satisfied I am with my work". .
