Key Difference: Some people don’t know the difference between the words Many and Several. And they use these words interchangeably without knowing it. In case, you are one among them, then we will teach you the contradictions between them with proper explanation and examples. Whenever we can count something, then we can use the word “Many.” Whereas, the word “Several” refers to more than two not many. Let’s get into this post and learn the differences between them.
Many: How many students are there?
Several: They show me several books to buy.
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Many:
Things which we can count.
In this section, we will see how, where, and when to use “many.” Usually, we use this word when we talk about several things. This word should be used while talking about countable nouns. For example, three cars, ten students, one tree, etc. We may represent plenty of or a great number of things using the word many. Let’s see an example to make it clear. There are so many possibilities available to solve the problem. From this sentence, we understand that every problem has many solutions. Here, we come up with one more example for your better understanding. Many people waiting for the train.
How Do We Spell the Word Many?
Phonetics pronunciation of the word Many is ˈmɛni. And this word sounds like the following audio.
Enunciation:
Syllabification refers to the process of division of words into smaller parts. It is commonly known as syllables. With its help, you can easily read and spell the word accurately. Here, you will see how to split the word “Many” by syllables.
- The word “Many” has two syllables.
- It can be divided as “Man-y.”
Using “Many” in sentences:
- How many certificates do you have?
- She brought many flowers for decorating the home.
- There are so many students waiting in the auditorium.
- Many people don’t know how to use money properly.
- He has many books in his room.
Several:
More than Two.
The word Several refers to more than two things but not many. For example, we can say like several people, several things, etc. This word is usually considered to relatively small amount. Let’s see an example sentence to make it clear. There are several children playing in the park. From this statement, we might understand that someone says that there are some children playing in the park. For your understanding, let us see one more example. He wrote songs for several films. In this sentence, we understand that someone wrote songs for a few films.
How Do We Spell the Word Several?
Phonetics pronunciation of the word Several is ˈsɛv(ə)r(ə)l. And this word sounds like the following audio.
Enunciation:
Syllables are phonological building blocks of words. It divides the words into parts that can help you read words more accurately. Let’s see how to split the word affect using syllables. Learning syllables can also help you to spell words correctly.
- The word “Several” has three syllables.
- It can be divided into Sev-er-al.
Using “Several” in sentences:
- I bought this book several weeks ago.
- She works in this office several times.
- He saw several wonderful toys in this house.
- This singer can sing several songs within a small amount of time.
- Our new product will reach high profit in several countries.
Compare: Many Vs Several
This table will show you the contradiction between the words Many and Several.
| Many | Several | |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Refers to the countable nouns. | It refers to more than two not many. |
| Synonyms | Numerous, multiple, several, diverse, abundant | Some, not very many, diverse |
| Antonyms | Few | Many, a lot |
| Parts of Speech | Adverb | Adjective |
| Etymology | Old English manig, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch menig and German manch | late Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French, from medieval Latin separalis, from Latin separ ‘separate, different’. |
| Examples | We used to spend many days in our hometown. She has many shoes. I ate too many chocolates today. There are many kids playing on the ground. I don’t have many pencils. | I wish to taste several food items right now. Several students fought in the playground. In this theater, we saw several movies. He taught several good things to his baby. There are several coins that fell down on the street. |
Resources and References:
Resources: Cambridge Dictionary (Many, Several), Merriam-Webster (Many, Several), Collins Dictionary (Many, Several), Dictionary.com (Many, Several)
Reference: Dictionary.Cambridge.org[1], Merriam-Webster.com[2], CollinsDictionary.com[3], Dictionary.com[4].