Amount or Number? Count It and You Will Know
An amount is a quantity. If you can count the things individually, English wants number, not amount.
An amount is a quantity of something. The rule that trips people up is simple once stated: use *amount* for things measured in bulk and *number* for things counted one by one. An amount of water, a number of bottles. The same split governs *less* and *fewer*, and *much* and *many*.
- A quantity. *A large amount of data.*
- A sum of money. *The full amount.*
- To add up to. *It amounts to theft.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | amount | A small amount. |
| Plural | amounts | Varying amounts. |
| Verb | amount | It amounts to little. |
| Past | amounted | It amounted to nothing. |
| Related | quantity | A large quantity. |
How it is used in a sentence
- A large amount of rain fell.Rain is uncountable.
- A large number of people came.People are countable.
- His answer amounts to a refusal.Verb: is equivalent to.
Countable and uncountable pairs
- amount (uncountable) / number (countable)
- less / fewer
- much / many
- a little / a few
- quantity works for both, which is why it is a safe fallback
From Old French *amonter*, to go up, from Latin *ad montem*, to the mountain. The idea of a total is the idea of a heap.
Amount of people or number of people?
Number of people. People are counted individually, so number is the correct word.
Is *amount of data* right?
Yes in ordinary use, since data is usually treated as a mass noun. Number of data points is the countable alternative.