Less Isn’t Fewer

I seem to be on a semantics and wrong-word choice kick lately. Maybe it’s because I taught newswriting and listening to people talk on television is driving me nuts, or maybe I’m just getting older and more irritable.

At any rate, there seems to be a lot of confusion about when to use “more” vs. “higher,” and “less” vs. “fewer” or “lower.”

Basic rule: When referring to quantity (things you can actually count), use “more,” and “fewer.” When referring to degree, use “less.” When comparing positions, use “higher” and “lower.”

What brings all this to mind is not because I heard the word “less” misused, although that happens all the time. What reminded me was the correct use of the word “fewer.” I saw a sign at the large new Safeway supermarket that almost made me applaud:

Yes! Somebody actually thought it through and came up with the right word choice, a rarity in today’s SMS text-crazy world. Congratulations.

The "fewer/less" choice is probably the one that gives people the most trouble. As I said above, use "fewer" when you're talking about specific items (e.g., "I needed fewer Crayons"), and "less" when you're talking about a comparative degree (e.g., "I needed less color").

Got it? Good.