couple of hours vs couple hours

Both "couple of hours" and "couple hours" are commonly used in English, but "couple of hours" is more grammatically correct and widely accepted. The addition of "of" helps clarify that "couple" is being used as a noun and not an adjective.

Last updated: April 13, 2024 • 2567 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"couple of hours"

This phrase is used to refer to a small, indefinite number of hours, usually around two or a few hours. The addition of "of" clarifies that "couple" is a noun.

Examples:

I'll be there in a couple of hours.
It will only take a couple of hours to finish the project.
Let's meet in a couple of hours.
She spent a couple of hours at the gym.
We chatted for a couple of hours.

Show examples from the web [+]

It can refer to things, people, or time like hours, minutes, and seconds. When we talk about time, we can use the phrase "a couple of hours" when something is ...
Jul 18, 2017 ... If being specific, "a couple of hours" means two hours. However, when said people often refer to "about two hours, more or less".
Oct 22, 2014 ... There's room for a third category in this discussion: ordinary nouns for discrete, countable items – "cookies", for example. A couple of hours ...
I submitted my query a couple of hours ago; why haven't I received the response? Under certain circumstances, additional processing time may be required to ...
Jan 11, 2023 ... ... speaking at the White House, said FAA officials expect to have a good sense of what caused the system outage in a couple of hours.
First of all, we need to define what a “couple of hours” means. We know that a couple means two. And an hour is 60 minutes. Therefore, a couple of hours is two ...
Improve website design in a couple of hours. May 31, 2021. You are a developer. You made a website and submitted it to the client.

Alternatives:

a few hours
several hours
a couple hours
a couple hours' time
a couple of hours' time

This phrase is commonly used in informal speech and writing.

"couple hours"

This phrase is also used to refer to a small, indefinite number of hours, but it is more informal and lacks the "of" that would clarify that "couple" is a noun.

Examples:

I'll be back in a couple hours.
It took a couple hours to fix the car.
Let's grab lunch in a couple hours.
She left a couple hours ago.
We can finish this in a couple hours.

Show examples from the web [+]

A couple hours simply means a short duration of hours, usually atleast two hours, but not more beyond three hours. A few hours however, indicate slight longer ...
Hi vovick. Please note that the forum rules require us to always provide context. In what way would you use "couple hours"?
Oct 5, 2018 ... When people say "a couple hours" does that mean exactly 2 hours? This thread is archived. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be ...
Aug 6, 2015 ... Hi, I just installed windows 10 on a new Samsung ssd I got as a boot drive. Every couple hours or so (only when I'm actively using the ...
However, although “couple hours” is grammatically incorrect, it doesn't matter too much as people still know what you mean. However, the differences between a “ ...
Saturday sketch: the "couple hours here and there" workweek. Seems better TBH! article cover. ByMax Knoblauch. January 21, 2022. · less than 3 min read ...
Jan 6, 2017 ... Got a couple hours to help save lives? Donate platelets. Scott Goodrich prepares equipment for a platelet donation at the Red Cross' ...
Couple Hours* Lyrics: Lyrics from Snippet / Look, if she wanna fuck, she gotta sign, ah, yeah, ooh / My shit drop Friday, couple hours (Yeah) / Talkin' ...

Alternatives:

a few hours
several hours
a couple of hours
a couple hours' time
a couple of hours' time

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