amount vs number: what's the difference?

Use amount with things you cannot count and number with things you can.

amount

/əˈmaʊnt/

Meaning: a quantity of something uncountable

Example: “a large amount of money”

Full definition of amount →

number

/ˈnʌmbə/

Meaning: a quantity of things that can be counted

Example: “a large number of coins”

Full definition of number →

How to remember

A number of people, an amount of water.

More commonly confused words