What is the difference between few and couple

It is frustrating to see people confused about these two words when there are clear differences between the two that will be highlighted in this article.

A couple is a phrase that is normally reserved for something that is in a pair or two in number. It also refers to an event that takes place only two times. If the quantity is two when we are talking about people, events or objects, couple is the word that has to be used. So, both is interchangeable.

Because the grammar police will get you for that. A couple of days is usually 2 days. A few days could be 2 or more days, usually 3 or 4. A couple of days is 2 days. A few days is 3 days. The one learning a language! The first case tends to signify that the person does, indeed, have enough socks to at least last until the next wash day.

He or she has a sufficient number of socks unlike the person who has few of them. The dictionary says it means more than a few but not a great number.

In a sentence? Feel free to leave a comment here or on the Facebook page. Your question and the answer could be featured in a future post. Fun topic to debate. It is a problem that the logical part of my brain cannot accept. So I came up with a standard method of applying these terms many years ago. Couple as a noun : Two partners in a romantic or sexual relationship.

Examples: "Now the conductor will couple the train cars. Few as a pronoun : Few people, few things. Examples: "Many are called, but few are chosen.