Resources
Lecciones de gramáticaLecturasEjercicios de listeningFlash cardsFalsos amigos¿Cuál usar?SufijosPrefijosDiscover your levelBlogBlog
How Much vs. How Many: Which One to Use and When
How much goes with uncountable nouns (money, water), how many goes with plural countable nouns (books, people).
Written by Bryan López, Profesor de inglés · Updated
How much is used to ask about the amount of uncountable nouns: How much water do you need? How many is used for plural countable nouns: How many books do you have?
How much vs. how many
It follows the same countable/uncountable rule
How much and how many follow the exact same split as countable/uncountable nouns: if the noun has a plural, use how many; if it doesn't, use how much.
The special case of money
Money is always uncountable in English, even though in practice it's counted in dollars or bills: it's always "How much money do you have?", never "How many money."
How to ask about price
To ask how much something costs, you use how much without needing to say "money": "How much is it?" "How much does it cost?"
Common mistakes with how much and how many
Using "how many" with money because you're thinking of the units (dollars, bills) instead of the general concept, which is uncountable. It's also common to use "how much" to ask about people, when it should be "how many people," since people are counted one by one.
Quick test: can you put a number before it?
If you can say "two" or "three" before the noun, it is countable and you use how many: two books, three friends, five cars. If you cannot, it is uncountable and you use how much: water, money, time, information, advice. You do not say "two waters" in the general sense, so the question is "How much water do you drink?" This one test solves most doubts, and it is faster than memorizing long lists.
Practice how much vs. how many with real audio
Interactive exercises, real pronunciation, and the full lesson taught in English.
Common nouns with each question
Useful answers to these questions
After "how many," answer with a number or a quantity: "There are twenty students," "a few," "a lot." After "how much," you can use "a lot," "a little," "not much," or a measure: "I need a lot of time," "We have a little milk," "It costs twenty dollars." Notice that "much" is normally used in questions and negatives: "I don't have much time." In positive sentences, "a lot of" is more natural.
More questions to practice
- How many languages do you speak?
- How much sugar do you take in your coffee?
- How many brothers and sisters do you have?
- How much luggage are you carrying?
- How many times have you been to London?
A common mistake with how much and how many
Incorrect
How much students are in your class?
Correct
How many students are in your class?
how much and how many in a real conversation
A: "How many people are coming to the party?" B: "About twenty, I think." A: "And how much food should we buy?" B: "Let's see, how much do we already have at home?"
A mental picture that helps
Imagine a bag of rice and a bag of apples. You can count the apples one by one, so you ask how many. You cannot count the rice grains in a normal way, you measure the rice, so you ask how much. This image works for almost any noun and is better than a translation, because some words are countable in English and not in your language, like "advice" or "information."
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between how much and how many?
How much is used with uncountable nouns (how much water), how many is used with plural countable nouns (how many books).
Do you say "how much money" or "how many money"?
"How much money," always. Money is an uncountable noun in English, even though it's counted in units like dollars.
How do I know whether to use how much or how many?
Ask yourself if the noun has a plural: if it does (books, people), use how many; if it doesn't (water, money, information), use how much.
What are some examples of how much and how many?
"How much sugar do you need?" "How many eggs are in the fridge?" "How much time do we have?"
How do you ask the price of something in English?
With how much, without needing to say money: "How much is it?" "How much does it cost?"
Why do learners mix up how much and how many with money?
Because in practice money is counted in units (dollars, bills), which makes it feel like how many should apply, but in English money is always uncountable.
How much and how many in the answer: can I use a lot for both?
Yes. "A lot" (or "a lot of") works with both countable and uncountable nouns: "a lot of friends," "a lot of money."
What about how much in the price question?
"How much is it?" and "How much does it cost?" both ask about price. The noun "money" is not needed, because the price is the amount of money.
Is how many followed by a singular or plural noun?
Plural, always: "How many books," not "how many book." The noun after how many is countable and in plural form.
Practice how much vs. how many with real audio
Interactive exercises, real pronunciation, and the full lesson taught in English.
Keep learning
- Countable and Uncountable Nouns in English: How to Tell Them ApartCountable nouns can be counted directly (one book, two books), uncountable ones can't (water, rice, money).
- Quantifiers in English: Much, Many, A Lot Of, A Few, A LittleMuch and a little go with uncountable nouns, many and a few go with countable nouns, a lot of works with both.
- Some vs. Any: When to Use Each OneSome goes in affirmative sentences, any goes in negatives and questions. Both mean "some" or "any amount of."