Confusable words

amount vs number: what's the difference?

amount
quantifier (uncountable)
vs
number
quantifier (countable)
? ?

Amount and number both mean "how much," but which one you use depends on whether you can count the thing you're talking about.

Amount

quantifier (uncountable)

Amount is used with uncountable nouns, things you can't count individually.

  • There's a large amount of information to review.
  • She spends a huge amount of time on her phone.

amount full definition →

Number

quantifier (countable)

Number is used with countable nouns, things you can count one by one.

  • A large number of students attended the lecture.
  • The number of emails in my inbox keeps growing.

number full definition →

Side by side

amount number
Used with Uncountable nouns: water, time, money Countable nouns: people, emails, cars
Can you count it? No, not individually Yes, one, two, three
Simple test "a large amount of water" "a large number of bottles"

Quick rule

Amount goes with things you measure, not count. Number goes with things you can count one by one.

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