Countable vs Uncountable Nouns: What’s the Difference?
- Thomas
- May 1
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 2
In English, nouns can be countable or uncountable. This means we either can count them (1, 2, 3…) or we cannot count them easily. Knowing the difference helps you use correct grammar, especially when choosing words like a, an, some, much, or many.
Countable vs Uncountable Nouns
Countable Nouns
Countable nouns are things you can count one by one. You can use a or an in the singular form and add -s or -es to make them plural.
Examples:
a book → two books
an apple → five apples
one chair → ten chairs
a pencil → many pencils
You can say:
I have a question.
There are three cookies on the plate.
Uncountable Nouns
Uncountable nouns are things you can’t count easily. They often refer to liquids, materials, ideas, or abstract things. You don’t use a or an with them. Instead, you can use some, much, a little, or a lot of.
Examples:
water
rice
information
furniture
advice
You can say:
I need some water.
We don’t have much rice left.
He gave me a lot of advice.
If you want to count uncountable nouns, you must use a container (something it is inside of) or a unit of measurement (like kilos, centimeters, miles, etc):
a glass of water
two cups of coffee
three pieces of furniture
Advertisement
Example in Conversation
Jake: I bought two sandwiches and some juice for lunch.
Mia: Nice! Do you have a napkin? I spilled some water.
Jake: Sure! I also brought a few cookies. Want one?
Mia: Yes, please. I didn’t bring any food today.
See how we can count sandwiches, napkin, and cookies, but not juice, water, or food?
Common Mistakes to Avoid
❌ “A sugar”
✅ “Some sugar” or “a spoon of sugar”
Incorrect: I need a sugar for my tea.
Correct: I need some sugar / I need a spoon of sugar.
❌ “Two coffees”
✅ “Two cups of coffee”
Incorrect: We drank two coffees.
Correct: We drank two cups of coffee.
Tip: You can say “two coffees” only when ordering drinks in a café, meaning “two cups of coffee.” In grammar, though, “coffee” is uncountable so don't say "two coffees" in daily conversation.
❌ “An information”
✅ “Some information”
Incorrect: She gave me an information.
Correct: She gave me some information.
Practice: Countable or Uncountable?
Decide if each noun is countable (C) or uncountable (U).
_____ cheese
_____ bananas
_____ furniture
_____ bottles
_____ money
Answers
U (cheese)
C (bananas)
U (furniture)
C (bottles)
U (money)
Great job! You've learned the difference between countable vs uncountable nouns. Time to go out and practice what you've learned. Remember to always test out your new skills in daily speech so you don't forget them. If you'd like, you can also practice by commenting below some example sentences or make a post in the forum with any questions you might have.
