The rule, as people use it
Both questions ask about amount. The difference is the noun after them.
"How many" goes with things you can count one by one, so the noun is plural: how many apples, how many people, how many times. You could answer with a number: three, twenty, a hundred.
"How much" goes with things you can't count one by one, so the noun stays singular: how much water, how much money, how much time. You measure these instead: a lot, a little, two liters, forty dollars.
Here's the trap. Money is counted in dollars, but "money" itself is uncountable. So it's "how much money" but "how many dollars". The same goes for time and minutes, and luggage and bags.
And "how much" on its own, with no noun, almost always means price. "How much is this?" "How much are the tickets?"
Examples
Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.
Fill the gap
Type the missing words, then check. The full sentence plays when you get it.
- 1
How (bags) are you taking on the trip?
- 2
How (sugar) do you want in your tea?
- 3
How (hours) did you sleep last night?
- 4
How (homework) do you have tonight?
- 5
How (is) this jacket?
- 6
How (friends) did Tyler invite?
- 7
How (information) do they need from us?
- 8
How (eggs) do we need for the cake?
Practice · 3 min
Make a shopping list for dinner with four friends. For each item, write the question you'd ask the group, using "how many" or "how much", then say the questions out loud.
- ___ (pizza slices) — How many ___ ?
- ___ (juice) — How much ___ ?
- ___ (plates) — ___
- ___ (ice) — ___
- ___ (money) — ___
- Then ask the price question: How much is ___ ?
Say it today
Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.