LoginHow Many vs. How Much
What Is Their Main Difference?
Differences
We mainly use 'how much' with uncountable nouns. These nouns are words that are always singular and they do not have a plural form. Look at the examples below:
How much money is left?
How much sugar do you need for your tea?
We use 'how many' to show the quantity of a countable noun. These nouns have plural forms. Look at the following examples:
How many books have you read so far?
How many plates do we need for tonight?
Similarities
As stated above, these two phrases are used to ask about the quantity. They refer to the amount of something. Look at the following examples:
How many balls do you see in the picture?
How many girls are there in the blue field?
There are 10 girls.
Tip!
We can use 'how many' with 'uncountable nouns'. When we want to show the types, groups, etc. of what we are describing, we use 'how many'. Look below:
How many teaspoons of brown sugar do you like madam?
As you can see, 'teaspoon' is used for measuring sugar and it is a countable noun.
How many bottles of milk is Mike gonna bring?
Are They Interchangeable?
Although they are used in the same context, they cannot be used interchangeably. Compare:
✓ How much coffee do you want?
X How many coffee do you want?
However, we can replace them in the above examples by adding a countable noun for measuring 'coffee'. Look:
✓ How many cups of coffee do you want?
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