Parts of Speech & Usage

Few vs. A few / Little vs. A little

1 min read

Few / a few and little / a little are often confused. The key difference is the meaning: negative vs. positive. The small word “a” completely changes the tone.

1. Few vs. A few (countable nouns)

Use few / a few with countable nouns (books, people, days).

Few = almost none (negative)
A few = some (positive)

Few people understood the problem. (= almost none)
A few people understood the problem. (= some people)

2. Little vs. A little (uncountable nouns)

Use little / a little with uncountable nouns (water, time, money).

Little = almost none (negative)
A little = some (positive)

There is little time left. (= almost none)
There is a little time left. (= some time)

3. Key difference: the meaning changes

Few / little → negative idea (not enough)
A few / a little → positive idea (enough to continue)

I have few friends here. (= I feel alone)
I have a few friends here. (= I have some, it’s OK)

4. Common mistake

❌ I have little friends. (wrong — 'friends' is countable)
✔️ I have few friends.

💡 Tip

Few / little = negative (almost zero)
A few / a little = positive (some)
Few / a few → countable nouns
Little / a little → uncountable nouns

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Question 1 sur 10Score: 0/10

___ people came to the meeting, so it was canceled.

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Parts of Speech & Usage

Few vs. A few / Little vs. A little

1 min read

Few / a few and little / a little are often confused. The key difference is the meaning: negative vs. positive. The small word “a” completely changes the tone.

1. Few vs. A few (countable nouns)

Use few / a few with countable nouns (books, people, days).

Few = almost none (negative)
A few = some (positive)

Few people understood the problem. (= almost none)
A few people understood the problem. (= some people)

2. Little vs. A little (uncountable nouns)

Use little / a little with uncountable nouns (water, time, money).

Little = almost none (negative)
A little = some (positive)

There is little time left. (= almost none)
There is a little time left. (= some time)

3. Key difference: the meaning changes

Few / little → negative idea (not enough)
A few / a little → positive idea (enough to continue)

I have few friends here. (= I feel alone)
I have a few friends here. (= I have some, it’s OK)

4. Common mistake

❌ I have little friends. (wrong — 'friends' is countable)
✔️ I have few friends.

💡 Tip

Few / little = negative (almost zero)
A few / a little = positive (some)
Few / a few → countable nouns
Little / a little → uncountable nouns

Test your knowledge 📝

Question 1 sur 10Score: 0/10

___ people came to the meeting, so it was canceled.

Discover the app: Shaky English

Join 100,000 people who are improving their English skills on the Shaky English app

Other similar rules

Vocabulary

Title Capitalization

A bit of theory

The correct use of “anxious”

Conjugation

Countable vs. Uncountable Nouns (e.g. informations, advices)

Common confusions

Less vs. Fewer

Common mistakes

Using “will” vs. “going to” for future

Conjugation

Other vs. Another vs. The other vs. Others

Common confusions

Then vs. Than

Conjugation