“Little to no” and “little to none” are phrases used to describe something with a minimal amount of something, if at all. And while they have the same meaning, these two phrases have different usages.
This post will teach you how to use the two modifiers in sentences and if you should add a hyphen between these words.
Little to No Meaning
The phrase “little to none” describes something with a minimal amount of something. The expression connotes almost no distinction between “little” and “none.”
Is it ‘Little to No’ or ‘Little to None’?
The original expression is “little to no” and not “little to none.” But both phrases are correct, depending on how you use them.
“No” can be a determiner or an article, as in “no sugar,” “no idea,” or “no food.” Therefore, you should use “little to no” before a noun. For example:
- There is little to no sugar in the can.
- We have little to no hope here.
- The informal settlers had little to no food left after the demolition.
Do not add a hyphen between the phrases. Remember that “little to no” acts like a determiner instead of a compound adjective.
“None” is a pronoun that takes the place of a noun. It literally means “no” plus the antecedent. So “little to none” should stand independently without modifying a noun. For example:
- My contact with my old professor is little to none.
In this sentence, “little to none” is a subjective complement of “contact.” It does not modify a noun the way “little to no” does since it’s equal to “little to no contact.”
- There is little to none of the sugar anymore.
“Little to none” does not modify “sugar” in the sentence because there is a preposition “of” in the middle.
- Person 1: How much hope do we have here?
- Person 2: Little to none. (Little to no hope).
How to Use ‘Little to No’ Correctly
“Little to no” typically applies to non-countable nouns with the singular form since “little” only modifies this type of noun. For example:
- I have little to no time to waste.
“Little to no” modifies the uncountable noun, “time.”
- There is little to no chance of us getting a weekend reservation at this point.
In this example, “little to no” is a determiner of “chance.”
It’s inaccurate to use “little to no” for countable nouns. The appropriate determiner for them is “few” instead of “little.” However, some people still use the phrase in informal contexts. For example:
- There are little to no slots left.
Here are alternative sentences that sound more accurate and suitable for formal contexts:
- There are a few slots left.
- There are no slots left.
- There are few if any, slots left.
“Few to no” and “few to none” are not popular variations of “little to nothing.” The most popular synonyms are “little or no” and “little or nothing.” These phrases focus on comparison instead of range, but the meaning is still the same. For example:
- The market had little or none of my favorite fruits.
- The store sold little or no candles.
Other synonyms include “no” or “hardly any.”
Examples of ‘Little to No’ in Sentences
While many have tried to point to Biden’s policies as a source for this surge, there is little to no evidence for this. (Michigan Daily)
Asexual people, also known as aces, experiences little to no sexual attraction. These experiences fall on a spectrum, from sex-repulsed aces to sex-indifferent aces. (Telegraph)
She would often complain to her mother about how cramped and hot the “insufferable” space was, how there was no natural light and little to no insulation. (Daily Orange)
“Once I changed my mindset, I had a far reduced level of anxiety, and I could get through the meal with little to no issues.” (NPR)
Improve Your Writing Skills By Being More Descriptive!
“Little to no” is an expression meaning something has a minimal amount of something. Do not use a hyphen between the words since the phrase is a determiner and not a compound adjective.
The phrase makes make your writing more descriptive. But you can switch it with “hardly any” or “no” for conciseness.