Nouns That Are Countable and Uncountable

Some nouns can be both countable and uncountable, usually with different meanings for each. These pages list the most common ones.

Note: Check your English-English dictionary for example sentences.

Accommodation

uncountable: a place to live in or stay at
countable: an agreement between opposing people or organisations

Aid

uncountable: money or help given to those who need it
countable: something that helps you to do something

Air

uncountable: the mixture of gases surrounding the earth
countable: (old-fashioned) a tune or a melody

Art

uncountable: paintings, sculpture, drawings, etc.
countable: an activity that needs special training or knowledge

Ballet

uncountable: a style of dancing that tells a story
countable: a particular work of classical dance

Beauty

uncountable: the quality that makes someone or something beautiful
countable: a beautiful woman, or an excellent thing

Beer

uncountable: an alcoholic drink made with malt and hops
countable: a glass of beer

Blood

uncountable: the red liquid inside our bodies
countable: (old-fashioned) a rich man who likes to show off

Bread

uncountable: a common food that's made from wheat or other grains
countable: a particular variety or type of bread

Business

uncountable: the activity of making, buying or selling things for money
countable: a particular company or other commercial organisation

Cheese

uncountable: a solid dairy food
countable: a particular kind or variety of cheese

Cinema

uncountable: the making and marketing of films and movies
countable: a place in which films are shown on a big screen ("movie theater" is more common in American English)

Coffee

uncountable: a drink made with ground, roasted seeds
countable: one cup of coffee

Currency

uncountable: the banknotes and coins used in a country
countable: the monetary unit of a particular country

Danger

uncountable: the possibility of something very bad happening
countable: a person or thing that can harm or kill

Delight

uncountable: a feeling of great happiness
countable: something or someone that makes us happy

Depression

uncountable: a feeling of great sadness that can require medical treatment to cure
countable: a period of little economic activity when many people lose their jobs

Dessert

uncountable: sweet food eaten at the end of a meal
countable: a particular type or category of dessert

Distribution

uncountable: the transportation and delivery of goods to shops and buyers
countable: the geographic range of a species, a language, a disease, etc.

Employment

uncountable: the giving of work to someone, or the state of having work
countable: an exchange of labor for payment, usually under contract

Enjoyment

uncountable: the pleasure you get from something
countable: an activity or experience that gives pleasure

Entertainment

uncountable: films, concerts, sports, TV shows, etc. that an audience can enjoy 
countable: a particular performance or activity that people enjoy

Failure

uncountable: lack of success in doing something
countable: a person or thing that is not successful

Faith

uncountable: strong belief in someone or something
countable: a particular religion

Food

uncountable: things that people or animals eat
countable: a particular type or category of food

Freedom

uncountable: the state of being free to do what you want
countable: the right to do what you want to do

Fruit

uncountable: food that contains seeds, like apples, oranges, pears, etc. 
countable: a particular kind or category of fruit

Fuel

uncountable: something that's burned for heat or power, like wood, oil, gas, etc.
countable: a particular kind of fuel

Gas

uncountable: any substance like air that's neither solid nor liquid
countable: a particular type of gas

Glass

uncountable: the material used to make windows, bottles, fishbowls, etc.
countable: a drinking vessel made of glass

Gold

uncountable: a valuable metal that's used to make jewelry
countable: a gold medal, or a color that's similar to gold

Gossip

uncountable: stories about other people's private lives, often untrue or exaggerated
countable: a person who likes telling and hearing gossip

Grammar

uncountable: the rules of a language
countable: a book that describes the rules of a language

Grass

uncountable: a common plant that's eaten by horses, cows, sheep, etc.
countable: any particular type of grass

Ground

uncountable: the surface of the Earth
countable: an area of land used for a particular purpose

Hair

uncountable: the mass of fibers on your head
countable: a single strand of hair

Heat

uncountable: the quality of being hot
countable: a qualifying race or game at the start of a competition

Height

uncountable: how high something is, or how tall someone is
countable: a high place or position

Ice cream

uncountable: a sweet frozen food made from milk
countable: a small amount of ice cream on a stick, in a cone, or in a small container

Injustice

uncountable: unfair treatment or mistaken legal judgement
countable: a particular action, judgement or situation that's unfair

Intelligence

uncountable: the ability to understand and think about complex ideas
countable: a particular type or class of intelligence

Iron

uncountable: a strong, hard metal
countable: a household appliance for smoothing out wrinkles in clothes

Irony

uncountable: humor in which someone says the opposite of what they really mean
countable: an event or situation that involves a contradiction of some sort

Jam

uncountable: sweet food that's made from fruit and usually spread on bread or toast
countable: many vehicles stuck together in traffic, or a difficult situation

Jealousy

uncountable: unhappiness felt when you think someone you like wants somebody else, or when someone else has something you want 
countable: an action or comment that shows jealousy

Joy

uncountable: a feeling of great happiness
countable: something that makes you feel very happy

Juice

uncountable: liquid that's squeezed from fruit or vegetables
countable: one glass of juice, or a particular kind of juice

Kindness

uncountable: the quality of being kind to people or animals
countable: a kind act

Land

uncountable: the earth's surface, or part of this surface
countable: a country or region

Love

uncountable: a strong affection for someone 
countable: a person, thing or activity that you love

Marble

uncountable: a type of stone often used in buildings
countable: a small glass ball used for playing games

Meat

uncountable: animal or bird flesh eaten as food
countable: a particular type of meat

Metal

uncountable: a solid material that can be mined, like iron, tin, gold, etc.
countable: a particular kind or category of metal

Nature

uncountable: all living things and the habitats that sustain them
countable: the basic character of a person or an animal, or a basic feature of something

Noise

uncountable: loud or unpleasant sound 
countable: a particular sound

Oil

uncountable: a thick liquid, such as the dark liquid from underground that's used to make fuel, or a thick liquid that's used for cooking food 
countable: a particular type of oil

Paper

uncountable: a material that's used for writing on, printing on, or wrapping things in
countable: a newspaper

Passion

uncountable: very strong feeling or emotion
countable: a very strong interest in something or someone

Power

uncountable: the ability to control people, places or things
countable: a country with a lot of political, economic or military power

Pride

uncountable: positive emotion felt when you or someone you know achieves something special
countable: a group of lions

Production

uncountable: the process of making or growing things
countable: a film, play, television or radio program

Pronunciation

uncountable: the sounds made when speaking a language or saying a word
countable: a particular way of pronouncing a word or a language

Quality

uncountable: the standard of something, or how good it is
countable: a particular feature of someone or something

Quantity

uncountable: the amount of something
countable: a particular amount of something or number of things

Room

uncountable: the space needed for something
countable: a space inside a building with walls, a floor and a ceiling

Salad

uncountable: raw vegetables like lettuce, tomato, cucumber, etc. mixed together
countable: one serving of salad, or a particular type of salad

Satire

uncountable: humor used to criticize someone or something
countable: a movie, book, play, etc. that uses satirical humor

Silence

uncountable: total quiet, or no sound at all
countable: a period of time when nobody's speaking

Sleep

uncountable: a natural state of rest
countable: a particular period of sleep

Smoke

uncountable: clouds that rise from fires, chimneys, etc.
countable: a cigarette, or the act of smoking

Soil

uncountable: the top layer of earth in which plants can grow
countable: a particular type or category of soil

Sorrow

uncountable: a feeling of great sadness
countable: an event that causes great sadness

Space

uncountable: empty area, or the unused part of something 
countable: a particular area that has nothing in it

Speed

uncountable: how fast something or someone moves
countable: a particular speed

Spelling

uncountable: the ordering of letters to form a word
countable: a particular way of spelling a word

Sport

uncountable: physical activities in which players compete individually or in teams
countable: a particular kind of sport

Strength

uncountable: physical power, or how strong someone or something is
countable: an important ability or feature

Success

uncountable: the achievement of a goal
countable: a successful person, event or result

Sugar

uncountable: sweet crystals added to drinks like tea and coffee
countable: one teaspoon of sugar, or a particular type of sugar

Tea

uncountable: a drink made by adding boiling water to dried plant parts
countable: one cup of tea, or a particular type of tea

Time

uncountable: duration as measured by clocks
countable: a particular occasion or time when something happened

Toast

uncountable: sliced bread that's been heated and browned in a toaster
countable: the act of drinking to someone's happiness or success

trade

uncountable: the buying and selling of goods and services
countable: a type of skilled work, or a particular type of business

Trust

uncountable: the belief that someone or something is honest or won't cheat you
countable: a legal arrangement or organization that manages someone's money or property

Understanding

uncountable: comprehension of the facts about something, or comprehension of someone's situation or feelings
countable: an informal agreement

Usage

uncountable: the way that words are used in spoken or written language
countable: a particular meaning or usage of a word

Vision

uncountable: the sense of sight, or the ability to see 
countable: an idea of what the future could be like

Weight

uncountable: how heavy someone or something is
countable: a heavy object that's used to build muscle mass and strength

Whisky

uncountable: a strong alcoholic drink
countable: one glass of whisky

Width

uncountable: how wide something is
countable: a measured piece of cloth, or the width of a swimming pool

Wine

uncountable: an alcoholic drink made from grapes, or a similar drink made from rice, elderberries, etc.
countable: a glass of wine, or a particular type of wine

Wood

uncountable: the hard material in trees
countable: a particular type of wood

Work

uncountable: a job done for money, or any productive activity
countable: something created by a writer, painter, musician, or other artist

Youth

uncountable: the time in someone's life when they're young
countable: a young man