Less and fewer -apparently it's not a clear cut as I think it is?

[arield]

Would someone enlighten me please?

Thank you

Fewer if it’s referring to something that can be individually counted - fewer people.

Less if it can’t be counted - less sugar.

Less sugar fewer cups of tea

But most people dont care about this one any more so it"s less clear cut in that way.

The rule (as far as I know) is that if it's one thing that can be made smaller (eg, a cake) you use less. For a group of multiple things (eg marbles) you use fewer.
So, fewer cases of covid and the rules make less sense as a random example.

Well off the top of my head I would say fewer for numerical things and less for describing stuff. For example, it's less hot today. There are fewer sweets in this bag. I'm not the person to ask though. I'm lazy with grammar

Tell us what you think it is (your title)?

Yes, I understand it the way @BingoLingFucker has described.

@Sagaz I still care.

If you’d ask “how many?”, it’s fewer. If you’d ask “how much?”, it’s less. Like, “how much sugar would you like?” - “less”; “how many spoons of sugar would you like?” - “fewer”.

There's a long thread from a few years ago explaining. I'll see if I can dig it out.
It was sparked by the hoohah when people believed supermarkets had it wrong by saying "ten items or less".

This is one of the threads but it's not the one I was thinking of, which is much longer.
@DadDadDad and Prism explain well why it's not as simple as countable v uncountable.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/pedants_corner/2090993-Fewer-not-less

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/pedants_corner/a1778694-Less-than-or-fewer-than?msgid=39689322#39689322

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/pedants_corner/1722785-20-mph-or-fewer

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/pedants_corner/a2190363-Less-or-fewer?msgid=49656405#49656405

I'm on all of those threads hidden in plain sight and it's interesting to note I changed my mind as I became more descriptivist in my old age.

@Geamhradh

This is one of the threads but it's not the one I was thinking of, which is much longer. *@DadDadDad* and Prism explain well why it's not as simple as countable v uncountable.

Yes this.

I've always thought it was countable vs uncountable

I was tickled by a supermarket sign that asked customers to use less plastic bags.

If they supplied only bags that were less plastic, then the sign would be redundant