a few hours vs few hours

Both "a few hours" and "few hours" are correct, but they have different meanings and usage. "A few hours" indicates a small, indefinite quantity of hours, while "few hours" implies a negative sense of scarcity or lack of time. The choice between them depends on the context and the intended meaning.

Last updated: March 23, 2024 • 2091 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to indicate a small, indefinite quantity of hours.

"a few hours"

Use "a few hours" when you want to express a small, unspecified number of hours. It implies that there are some hours available, but the exact number is not specified.

Examples:

I'll be back in a few hours.
She spent a few hours reading a book.
It will take a few hours to complete the task.
We chatted for a few hours.
He slept for a few hours.

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The sun will be comin' in a few hours.
The Initiative would have found everything in a few hours.
We needed a baby-sitter for a few hours.
You can isolate them for a few hours, but...
Symptoms disappear after a few hours.
Raptors are due back in a few hours.
I just need you to keep Buffy away for a few hours.
Let me be Old Noll a few hours more.
We just pushed it back a few hours.
Okay, so first it was a few hours.
Our flight leaves in a few hours.
If I could only close my eyes for a few hours.
N-no, we don't rent rooms for a few hours.
Canada's only a few hours away.
In a few hours it'll all be over.
No Overlord can exist for more than a few hours without a mask.
My book party's in a few hours.
So you can go home for a few hours.
And you played with them for a few hours.
He's only been at work a few hours.

Alternatives:

several hours
a couple of hours
a handful of hours
a small number of hours
a limited number of hours

This phrase is correct and is used to indicate a negative sense of scarcity or lack of time.

"few hours"

Use "few hours" when you want to convey that there is a shortage of hours or a limited amount of time available. It implies a sense of insufficiency or constraint.

Examples:

I have few hours left to finish the project.
There are few hours of daylight in winter.
She has few hours to spare for leisure activities.
He has few hours of sleep each night.
We have few hours before the deadline.

Show examples from the web [+]

First few hours inside and you're already here.
Don't spend your last few hours working.
I've spent the last few hours tuning out all these incredibly boring stories...
It's been such an awful few hours, Stanley.
I've had Charlie tailing Delta Team for the last few hours.
These might be my wife's last few hours of freedom.
Someone's been here in the past few hours.
Freshness of the wounds suggest it happened In the last few hours.
Because Natalie spent the last few hours with me.
Nobody's come through here in the last few hours.
My auntie spent years obsessing over Cindi's last few hours.
I'm waiting on a final tally, but I believe we've lost around 18 defectors over the last few hours.
We're asking everyone if they've seen or heard anything unusual in the past few hours.
Elliot? Will, over the last few hours, a series of dramatic events have unfolded on the streets of suburban Boston.
I have spent the last few hours mapping out every story you've ever told.
So I've spent the last few hours online with customer support, just reaming them out.
I scanned all the 911 calls for the past few hours.
This is just one of four similar incidents that have happened in the area in the last few hours.
Over the past few hours, his B.P'. s dropped down again.
I'm going to enjoy my last few hours of being a teacher.

Alternatives:

limited hours
scant hours
insufficient hours
scarce hours
not many hours

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a few hours vs few hours

"a few hours"

"few hours"

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