English Experts

[josneywat]

Sign at the checkout of a supermarket: “Ten items or less”.

This is INCORRECT.

You can count the items, so you need to use the number word “fewer”. These nouns are countable.

* "Ten items or fewer."

This is CORRECT.

If you can’t count the substance, then you should use “less”. These nouns are uncountable.

* "You should eat less meat."

This is CORRECT.

[Henry Cunha]

A good rule, although some cases are borderline:

less than 100 km/hr = under 100 km/h
less than an hour = under an hour
Nine is less than ten. (But nine pencils are fewer than ten)
More or less ten pencils
etc

Regards

[josneywat]

Oh thank you for the excellent comment.

[soudobrasil]

10 items or less, its wrong?
its an old serie, that i used to watch.

[josneywat]

Yes, it is wrong. Even though it's used in supermarkets.