there were fewer people in the shop today vs there were less people in the shop today

The correct phrase is 'there were fewer people in the shop today.' 'Fewer' is used when referring to countable items, like people. Meanwhile, 'less' is used for uncountable items, such as hair or sand. In this case, 'people' is countable, so 'fewer' is the appropriate choice.

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Editor at TextRanch

Last updated: March 24, 2025 • 5501 views

This phrase is correct. 'Fewer' is used when referring to countable items.

"there were fewer people in the shop today"

Use 'fewer' when referring to countable items, such as people, to indicate a smaller number. In this context, 'fewer' is the correct choice.

Show examples from the web [+]

Dec 24, 2014 ... There were fewer people in the shop today. There were less people in the shop today. Both are right. Many people frown on less with count ...
There were fewer people in the shop today. There were less people in the shop today. Both are right. Many people frown on less with count nouns, but there's ...
And now for the really difficult ones: Which is grammatically correct? There were fewer people in the shop today. There were less people in the shop today.
There were fewer people in the shop today. There were less people in the shop today. Both are right. Many people frown on less with count nouns, but there's ...

Alternatives:

there were fewer customers in the shop today
there were fewer students in the classroom today
there were fewer cars in the parking lot today
there were fewer books on the shelf today
there were fewer apples in the basket today

This phrase is incorrect. 'Less' should not be used with countable items like 'people.'

"there were less people in the shop today"

Avoid using 'less' with countable items. Instead, use 'fewer' to indicate a smaller number of countable items.

Show examples from the web [+]

Dec 24, 2014 ... There were less people in the shop today. Both are right. Many people frown on less with count nouns, but there's nothing technically wrong ...
There were less people in the shop today. Both are right. Many people frown on less with count nouns, but there's nothing technically wrong with it. Like so many ...
There were less people in the shop today. Both are right. Many people frown on less with count nouns, but there's nothing technically wrong with it. Like so many ...
There were less people in the shop today. Both are right. Many people frown on less with count nouns, but there's nothing technically wrong with it. Like so many ...

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there were fewer people in the shop today vs there were less people in the shop today

"there were fewer people in the shop today"

"there were less people in the shop today"

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