Amount of people

This one is absolutely rampant. I really hadn't noticed it that much until recently, and now it's like everyone is doing it wrong all the time just to taunt me. So prepare to learn, people.

"Amount" is only used with something that cannot be quantified in numbers.

I have a large amount of happiness.

I have a large amount of money.

You could argue that "money" can be counted in numbers, which would be true, except we're not specifying how to count it. It's a generic term, not a specific form of money like dollars, euros, pesos, caps, goats, or whatever other form of money you feel like using. For terms like this, you use "amount."


Here is when you do not use "amount." If you can count whatever you're referring to, the word "amount" does not apply. Do not use it. Ever. Use "number" instead, like so:

Chipper Jones has a small number of years remaining in his career.
Miguel Cabrera has a small number of brain cells in his head.

See? You can count these things. You could theoretically determine the number of years in Chipper Jones' career and the number of brain cells in Miguel Cabrera's head. If that's the case and you are talking about something that can be counted, use "number."

Of course, this means that the title of this post is incorrect. You might hear it all the time, but it's still wrong.

Be a leader. Make the right choice.