How many is a couple, a few, a little?

Download 30 “ask the teacher” lessons

600+ Confusing Words E-Book

How many is a couple?

How many is a few?

What’s the difference between a couple, a few, a little, and some?

English learners often have doubts about these words. Let’s look at each one clearly.

How Many is a Couple?

Strictly speaking, a couple means two.

• We bought a couple of chairs. (= 2 chairs)

• I have a couple of questions. (= 2 questions)

👉 In casual conversation, people sometimes use a couple more loosely to mean “two or maybe three.”

• Let’s wait a couple of minutes. (= 2–3 minutes, not exact)

• He stayed for a couple of days. (= 2–3 days)

How Many is a Few?

A few means more than two, but not many; usually around 3–5.

• I have a few close friends. (= 3–5 friends)

• She bought a few apples at the market. (= 3–5 apples)

• We visited a few museums on our trip. (= several, but not a large number)

👉 Use a few only with countable nouns.

How Much is A Little?

A little means a small amount of something uncountable.

• I need a little sugar in my coffee.

• She has a little money saved.

• There’s a little hope left.

👉 Use a little only with uncountable nouns (money, time, advice, water, etc.).

How Much is Some?

Some is more general. It means an unspecified amount or number; not large, but not tiny either.

• I bought some apples. (= more than 2, but we don’t know exactly how many)

• She needs some water. (= an unspecified amount)

• We met some interesting people at the event. (= several, not all)

👉 Some is flexible: you can use it with both countable and uncountable nouns.

Quick Comparison

✅ Summary: Couple vs. Few vs. Little vs. Some

• A couple = normally 2, sometimes loosely 2–3.

• A few = small number (3–5) of countables.

• A little = small amount of an uncountable.

• Some = general, unspecified number/amount.