A Quick Guide on “Less” vs. “Least”
“Less” is the irregular comparative and “least” is the corresponding superlative. We’ll explain what makes them irregular and how to use these words correctly.
- Less is the comparative form of little and refers to “a smaller amount of.” Least is the superlative form of little and refers to “the smallest amount of.”
James had little energy left, and Erica had even less.Jordan, however, had the least amount of energy after the birthday party and went straight to sleep.
“Less” or “Least”
To understand when to use less or least, you must first know what comparatives and superlatives are. Comparatives and superlatives are used for comparisons of adjectives, and they help show comparisons between two or more nouns.
Take for example the word high. Its comparative form is higher, and its superlative is highest. Because high is a regular adjective, forming the comparative (+ “–er”) and the superlative (+ “–est”) is easy. However, some words are irregular, meaning the comparative and superlative don’t follow the usual pattern.
Little, and its comparative and superlative form—less and least—are the perfect examples. This blog post will explain what these words mean and when to use less or least. Our Grammar Checker can also help you use commonly confused words like less and least correctly.
When To Use “Less”
Less is the comparative of little and can function as a determiner, pronoun, adjective, or adverb. Regardless of its function in a sentence, less usually means “a smaller amount or degree of something” or “to a smaller extent.”
Although not as common, less can also function as a preposition and is synonymous with minus.
Here are a few common expressions that include the word less and what they mean:
1. Less and less: diminishing in amount or degree
2. More or less: almost or approximately
3. Much less: introduces something that is less likely than something already mentioned
When To Use “Least”
Least is the superlative of little and can also function as a determiner, pronoun, adjective, or adverb. Least refers to “the smallest amount, extent, degree, or significance.”
A few expressions that contain the word least are:
1. At the very least: indicates that what was previously stated is the lowest possible
2. Not in the least: not at all
3. To say the least: implies that the reality is more extreme
4. Last but not least: last in order of mention but not of importance
Worry Less with LanguageTool
Comparatives and superlatives can be challenging, especially when they’re irregular. When dealing with little and its comparative and superlative, all you have to remember is their order:
- little → less → least
LanguageTool—a multilingual text editor—can also ensure your text is error-free by detecting incorrect use of comparatives and superlatives, like less and least, worse and worst, and many more.
