Countable and uncountable nouns

English nouns can be countable or uncountable depending on how they are used. When we use a noun countably, we treat what it refers to as one or more separate units that can be counted. When we use a noun uncountably, we do not treat what it refers to as separate countable units.

Some nouns are almost always used in one way, while many others can be countable in one meaning and uncountable in another. For example, coffee is uncountable when it means the drink in general (e.g., I drink coffee every morning), but countable when it means individual servings (e.g., Can I order two coffees please?). Understanding whether a noun is being used countably or uncountably affects articles, quantifiers, plural forms and subject-verb agreement.

Countable nouns

A countable noun refers to a person or thing that we treat as a separate individual unit. Countable nouns have singular and plural forms and can be counted directly using numbers:

• one student → six students
• one apple → four apples
• one woman → five women
• one idea → two ideas
• one fox → three foxes

Plural countable nouns can also be used with quantifiers such as many, a few, several, some and numerous:

• many students
• a few apples
• several women
• some ideas
• numerous foxes

A singular countable noun can be used with a/an when it refers to one non-specific person or thing:

• She is a student.
• He wants an apple.
• I met a woman.
• He’s had an idea.
• They saw a fox.

Uncountable nouns

An uncountable noun refers to something that we do not treat as separate individual units. In its uncountable meaning, it is not used directly with numbers or with a/an, and it does not have a plural form. For example:

• ❌ I need an advice. (advice is uncountable)
• ✅ I need some advice.

• ❌ We bought three furnitures. (furniture is uncountable)
• ✅ We bought some furniture.

Common uncountable nouns

Uncountable nouns include both physical things that English treats as a quantity, substance or group and ideas, concepts and activities that are not divided into separate countable units:

Countable alternatives to common uncountable nouns

Some very common uncountable nouns cause problems because learners try to use them for one individual thing. English often uses a different countable noun when we want to refer to one individual unit:

How to count uncountable nouns

Although we cannot count an uncountable noun directly in its uncountable meaning, in the real world we still need to be able to state exact quantities of it. For example, we may need to state a certain amount of an ingredient in a recipe or say how much homework a teacher gave us.

To do this, we use container words. The container word provides a countable unit that we can use to measure or divide the uncountable noun. It is followed by of and the uncountable noun:

number/article + container word + of + uncountable noun

Container words can include general units such as piece and item, measurements such as gram and litre, portions such as slice and loaf, or actual containers such as bottle and box:

• Could I have 200 grams of pork?
• The teacher gave us three pieces of homework.
• I filled the car with 20 litres of petrol.
• You should take two bottles of water with you.
• Breakfast comes with two slices of toast.
• We bought three items of furniture.

Using uncountable nouns countably

Some nouns that are commonly used uncountably can also be used countably when we change what we are counting. This is particularly common when talking about servings, portions, types or varieties:

• He drank five beers last night. (five servings of beer)
• I’ve already had two coffees this morning. (two servings of coffee)
• We ordered three teas. (three servings of tea)
• They sell 15 different cheeses. (15 types or varieties of cheese)
• The shop sells several tropical fruits. (several types or varieties of fruit)
• The menu includes several vegetarian soups. (different types of soup)

In these examples, the nouns are being used countably because they now refer to separate servings, types or varieties rather than to the food, drink or substance in general.

Nouns that can be countable and uncountable

Many English nouns can be used both countably and uncountably. What matters is how the noun is being used in a particular sentence. The table below shows some common nouns with both countable and uncountable uses:

Grammar rules for countable and uncountable nouns

Understanding the difference between countable and uncountable nouns is important because different grammatical rules apply to each. The sections below explain these rules and highlight some of the most common problems learners have when using countable and uncountable nouns.

1. Singular countable nouns need a determiner

A noun used as singular and countable must be accompanied by an article or other determiner:

• ❌ I bought book.
• ✅ I bought a book.

• ❌ She is engineer.
• ✅ She is an engineer.

2. Use a/an only with singular countable nouns

A/an can only be used with singular countable nouns and not with plural or uncountable nouns:

• ❌ I have an advice for you.
• ✅ I have a piece of advice for you.

• ❌ My sister has a new work.
• ✅ My sister has a new job.

3. Use the correct quantifiers

Quantifiers are words that describe the quantity of a noun. While English has many quantifiers that can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns, there are many quantifiers that can only be used with one or the other:

• ❌ There isn’t many traffic.
• ✅ There isn’t much traffic.

• ❌ She has much friends.
• ✅ She has many friends.

4. Do not add a plural ending to an uncountable use

If a noun is used as uncountable, it does not have a plural form:

5. Use singular verbs with uncountable nouns

Uncountable nouns take a singular verb. In the present simple, this means using the third-person singular form, such as is, has, does, works or shows. With be in the past simple, we use was:

• ❌ The news are good.
• ✅ The news is good.

• ❌ The information were incorrect.
• ✅ The information was incorrect.

• ❌ The research show that…
• ✅ The research shows that…

Free countable and uncountable nouns worksheets