English Reference

number vs amount

Number is for things you can count individually; amount is for bulk quantities or mass.

number

Quantity of separate, countable items.

A large number of students signed up for the weekend seminar.

amount

Quantity of an uncountable mass.

We need to reduce the amount of sugar in our daily diet.

Watch out

  • The amount of people in the lobby is growing quickly.

    The number of people in the lobby is growing quickly.

  • We spent a large number of money on the new equipment.

    We spent a large amount of money on the new equipment.

Remember Number = Nouns you can count. Amount = All the rest.

Quick check

Fill the gap with one of the two options.

  1. 1.

    The of cars on the road has doubled since last year.

  2. 2.

    The total of work required for this project is overwhelming.

More like this in Grammar and structure.