this post was submitted on 08 Oct 2026
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There are lots of people who don't realize the word "couple" means two. Like they ask me for a couple of something and I give them exactly two and then they are confused because they expected several more.
They confuse it with "few"
When I was a kid, I needed clarification on these weasel words. My dad told me, a couple is two or three, but not one. One is always one. Four to six is a few, and seven or more is several, and you can remember that because several sounds like seven.
So, that's always been it for me. If you ask me for a couple you'll probably get two, but maybe three. You'll get five or six if you ask for a few, and you'll get seven if you ask for several. My dad an I were a lot alike.
Also, a "handful" is either five, because five fingers, of course, or however many I can grab with one hand, if it's candy or something.
lol I was one such person when I was younger.
In germany its way more confusing:
"Ein paar" means a few
"Ein Paar" means a couple (of two)
Hey at least you guys have capitalized nouns.
In Estonian:
"paar" means a few
"paar" means a pair (also a couple in the romantic sense)
you're a pedant: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20couple%20of#dictionary-entry-1
but the amount 2 matches both definitions, so he is clearly dealing with morons
I didn't say they were wrong, just that they are a pedant. If people consistently ask you for "a couple of X", and you give them 2, and they are always confused, maybe it's not that the people are stupid, but that you are communicating badly on purpose to feel superior
why would they be confused if they receive 2 things? a couple of means in any case 2 or more.
Bad example. More like if OP asked for a couple of peanuts and was confused when he received 3
I know Lemmy is basically just Reddit and thus full of pedants who think they are smarter than the average person. But you need to realise that 99% of people out there don't think of 2 items when thinking about "a couple of things". In my 15 or so years of knowing English, I've never encountered a use of "a couple of" where the speaker meant exactly two. So yes they are correct technically, but at the same time just communicating poorly
I'm on your side against atomicblocks, but in my 65+ years of speaking English I have been in many, many situations where "a couple" of things meant exactly two. Even situations where the exact number is quite important but also familiar and understood, like "take a couple of aspirin" or "I hitched a couple of horses to the wagon." But also many situations where it meant a small handful or the exact number wasn't important. Both uses are acceptable but "a few" or "some" or "several" are preferable if it's three or more. People who ask for "a couple" while expecting more are pretending to themselves and you that they aren't being greedy.
The person you called a pedant is merely literal-minded.
Maybe the generally accepted definition of "a couple of things" changed throughout the years. I am not exaggerating when I say I've never heard it used to refer to exactly two things, neither in English nor in my native language where there exists an equivalent phrase. But if you say that you have heard it that way, then so be it. Not to say you're old or anything, but English did change a little bit since 65+ years ago. I don't really understand where all the people arguing against a contemporary dictionary came from but it is quite entertaining :D
I'm not arguing that "a couple of things" can never be two, but that its pedantic to expect everyone to think it means "exactly two", when clearly that isn't the case, as proven by dictionaries. Language changes, and it's ridiculous to stand your ground and say "No! 'Couple' means two, so 'a couple of' must also mean two of!". It's like redirecting a river with traffic signs, you can try but it's not gonna change how the phrase is used in modern, contemporary English.
Honestly for a moment I thought I was taking crazy pills in this thread. I had to show this to a couple people to make sure I'm not completely out of touch, but they all confirmed that "a couple of" is usually more than two. Idk why people on here are so argumentative about this :D
And yeah, atomicblocks was just fighting ghosts. Idk what they thought this was about, but they just didn't seem to understand what was being discussed. Oh well, just another pointless argument on the internet
sounds like your English teacher taught you wrong, as a joke.
a couple of blocks means two or three blocks, and more likely two.
if I was looking for something "a couple of blocks away" and still hadn't seen it by the fourth, I'd assume the directions were wrong or I'd got lost.
you're arguing against a dictionary definition
yes we do think of two things (maybe three) when someone says "a couple of things".
that's a totally normal interpretation.
FWIW I've had this utterly engrossing and important discussion with numerous friends, family, and acquaintances. We arrived at:
a few has a much wider range, and I'd never call only two a few.
I respect that, but you'd confuse me saying "a few" if you meant 5 when "several" is right there!
Exactly how many couples do you know that are made up of more than two people?
A few, but I live in an area where polyamory is pretty normalized
Perfect example and I believe they call that a "throuple" to avoid the confusion we see in this discussion
I usually hear terms like “thruple” in that situation.
different context. The definition I sent is specifically for "a couple of"
“A couple of people…”
Nope same context.
When referring to a romantic partnership it would just be "a couple", not "a couple of people". The latter would be interpreted as a group of several where I am.
It's the phrase "a couple of blocks" that was under discussion. And then "ask me for a couple of something and I give them exactly two." Couples of people didn't arise until you shoehorned them in.
No, I asked a question about couples as an example. It really doesn’t matter though, a couple of blocks, and a couple of people are still only two of each of those things.
how often have you referred to a romantic couple as "a couple of people". What if I say "A couple of people attended my party", does that mean a romantic couple showed up and no one else?
It certainly means that only two people showed up. But now you are nitpicking, and still wrong.
take it up with merriam-webster, an institution tracking how people use words and phrases
No, I’m going to take it up with you since you posted it and called the other person a pedant while doing so.
No, it is not worth my time arguing with willfully ignorant people
You know what you’re at least right about that so I’ll just leave you alone to keep changing the context and keep claiming that you’re right about a couple in this instance.
"No u"? Very witty comeback, gold star. Haven't seen that used since Reddit
Merriam Webster has a whole ass article about the broadening of the word couple and how it can mean more than 2
A voice of reason <3 Thanks for the article, it's an interesting read. The broadening goes back a lot further than I thought; 1586 dayum. Idk what the people in this thread are smoking
Everything is a challenge
ok redditor
Let me guess, you came directly to Lemmy from Facebook?
even if that were true, that only extends out to three - not four+
where are you all getting those numbers from? If you ask me for a couple of pens and I give you four pens, would you even notice in that moment and be weirded out?
Edit: And what do you mean "even if that were true", my brother in christ this is a contemporary dictionary. This is how people use the phrase