How many percent or how much percent

how much, how many, what percent

Suppose you are the leader of a team, and you want to ask about the progress made so far. Which of the following sentences is right, if any?

How many percent of the work is done?

How much percent of the work is done?

What percent of the work is done?

2 Answers 2

We use «how many» for countables like apples and «how much» for uncountables like sugar or milk. So, of the first two, this one is the better (but still wrong):

How many percent of the work is done?

We use the word percent only if it follows a number- 10%, five percent or whatever. If there is no number, we use the word percentage instead. See percent vs percentage for more information.

We can’t ask «how many percentage», because a percentage isn’t a number, so instead we ask.

What percentage of the work is done?

See the last example here.

The answer is very simple, but to explain why it is so, is a little tricky.

The best option is:

«What percent of the work is done?»

«What percent of the work is complete?»

The first sentence doesn’t sound right. Even though percentages are numbers, they are not something you would include as a countable term. Percentages account to an amount in or for every hundred. Now, when you ask how far has the work progressed to far, we usually use percentages to reply. This is not something you can count. It is statistical, but uncountable. To use ‘many‘, we need something to count, for example:

Try this thread. This talks about why percentages are uncountable even though they are countable.

How much/many percent?

Ivan_I

Banned

I have come across an approach towards the right choice between «How much percent» versus «How many percent» which states that both are wrong. It should be «what is the percentage?» or «how great is the percentage?»

e2efour

Senior Member

Ivan_I

Banned

Thank you. Could you give your opinion on the correctness of the following sentences of mine? I want to better my understanding of percent-related contexts.

1) How many do(es) 1% of the students in our University come to?
1a) How many students do comprise 1 percent in our University?

2) What percent do 10 students come to in our University?
2a) What is the percent 10 students come to in our University?

Correcting and rephrasing are welcome.

One more thing. I have come across this website http://www.homeschoolmath.net/teaching/percent/what_percentage.php where we can see that the teacher considers How many percent. to be correct. Shall I take it that this deviation is acceptable in real life speaking?

e2efour

Senior Member

1) How many do(es) 1% of the students in our University come to? [I prefer does]
1a) How many students do es comprise 1 percent comprise in our University?

2) What percent do 10 students come to in our University?
2a) What is the percent 10 students come to in our University?

One more thing. I have come across this website http://www.homeschoolmath.net/teaching/percent/what_percentage.php where we can see that the teacher considers How many percent. to be correct. Shall I take it that this deviation is acceptable in real life speaking?

Someone who says how many percent is focusing on the number,not the proportion. I don’t find it acceptable to confuse the two. Also questions in an arithmetic textbook are not always grammatical.

Regarding percent(age), there is sometimes a problem of whether to use a singular or plural verb (as in the first sentence above). The answer is not always clear-cut and is really a question for a separate thread.

Should We Write How Many Percent Of or How Much Percent Of?

English can be downright confusing, especially when it comes to writing percentages.

Should we write how many percent of or how much percent of?

Both “how many percent of” and “how much percent of” are incorrect. In the English language, a percentage is not used as a plural noun. The correct way to express percentage is “what percentage of.” When referring to one or more quantities, you still use the singular form.

In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about correctly writing percentages.

Why “What Percentage of” Is Correct

The phrase “what percentage of” is the most accurate way to ask for a percentage.

That’s because it asks for a specific measurement rather than a whole. When using this phrase, the question refers to the amount of something out of a hundred equal parts.

For example, if you wanted to know what percentage of people are in your class, you would ask, “What percentage of people are in this class?”

This phrasing is more accurate because it asks for a specific measure out of a whole number.

It also points to percent as a modifier (which is what it is).

“Percent” literally means “per hundred.” It’s a word used to describe one part out of a hundred equal others. Therefore, “percent” is a singular noun and gets followed by a preposition.

Here is a good video about writing percentages (with examples):

Why “How Many Percent is” Wrong

The use of “how many” in this context is actually incorrect.

The phrase, “how many” should get used when asking for a specific number. For example, How many students are in your class? Or How many cups of sugar are in this recipe?

The word “many” is a plural pronoun.

That means it should only get used when referring to more than one quantity. So, when you use the phrase “how many percent,” you are actually asking for a specific number of percent rather than a percentage.

This usage is also incorrect because percent is not a noun that is used in the plural form. Therefore, you should never say or write, “how many percent.”

Why “How Much Percent of” Is Wrong

“How much percent of” is also wrong.

That’s because percent refers to an entity getting divided into a hundred equal parts. When used in a sentence, it takes a portion of those parts as a single measured amount.

Therefore, the phrase “how much percent” is incorrect since it relates to a whole and not a single measure.

You would not say, “How much percent of people are in your class?” Instead, you should use, “What percentage of people are in your class?”

“How many” should only get used when asking for a quantity and not a particular amount or portion.

For example, the sentence, “How many people are in your class?” is correct.

On the other hand, the sentence “How much percent of sugar is in this recipe?” is incorrect because it’s asking for a precise amount of sugar.

Percent Is vs. Percent Are: Which Is Correct?

Both are correct, depending on what you intend to express or ask.

Percent can take both plural and singular verbs depending on what you want to highlight. If you want to emphasize the quantity, then use a plural verb.

For example, sixty percent of people are happy with the new product.

In this sentence, the emphasis is on the number of people. Therefore, it uses the plural verb, “are.”

On the other hand, if you want to emphasize the whole, use a singular verb. For example, sixty percent of the population is happy with the new product. In this sentence, the emphasis is on the population as a whole.

Therefore, it uses a singular verb (is).

While the word “population” is a collective noun referring to a multitude , it’s still considered a singular entity. That’s because it speaks of a group of people as one, singular unit.

The word “people” is a plural noun that speaks of more than one person.

Therefore, when using “people,” you should always use a plural verb. The rule of thumb is to use a plural verb when you want to emphasize quantity and a singular verb when you want to emphasize the whole.

What Percent or What Percentage: Which Is Better?

Although they might seem almost identical, the two phrases are not interchangeable.

Even if both refer to a quantity out of 100, they get used in different contexts. Percent refers to a unit of measurement in semantics.

It’s applicable in mathematical expressions to express proportions. Also, it can either get represented by a symbol or written out. In a sentence, you could say, 99% or ninety-nine percent of students are in class.

On the other hand, the percentage identifies that which is getting measured.

Syntactically speaking, a quoted amount usually precedes, “percent”. That’s not the case with “percentage.”

How Do You Write a Percentage in a Sentence?

When referring to a numerical percentage, use the symbol “%” or the word “percent.” The symbol (%) comes after the number with no space in between.

For example, you would write 99%, not 99 %.

It’s usually better to write the number and the symbol (or the word percent) at the beginning of a sentence. (e.g., Sixty percent of the population is happy with the new product).

If the sentence is long, you can use the symbol instead of the word.

When a sentence doesn’t speak of a specified number, use an adjective to describe the size of that percentage.

For example, “A large percentage of people are happy with the new product.”

How To Ask a Percentage Question in a Survey

When conducting a survey, there are different ways you can ask percentage questions.

First, ensure the questions are simple, and your responders don’t have to calculate. You can use a Likert scale or ask the respondents to rate on a scale of 1-10.

Another option is what’s called a semantic differential scale.

Here is where you present two opposite adjectives, and the respondent chooses the option that best describes their opinion.

Final Thoughts: Should We Write How Many Percent of or How Much Percent of?

I hope this article clears up all of your questions about writing percentages.

There are a ton of other articles on this site that can take your writing to the next level. Before you go, check out some of the hand-selected articles below.

Much/many with percentage

khushinamdev

New Member

entangledbank

Senior Member

We don’t use those with any words for a kind of measurement: how much size, how much height, how much amount. We can use them with specific measures: how many metres high?

If we want to ask whether some measure is 20% or 30% or 40%, I think we’d use ‘what’: What percentage is it? (Compare: what size? what height?)

Lun-14

Banned

We don’t use those with any words for a kind of measurement: how much size, how much height, how much amount. We can use them with specific measures: how many metres high?

If we want to ask whether some measure is 20% or 30% or 40%, I think we’d use ‘what’: What percentage is it? (Compare: what size? what height?)

Hermione Golightly

Senior Member

dojibear

Senior Member

Do you mean the phrase «how much percentage»? Or do you mean some sentence about percentages with «how much» in the sentence? Or sentences using the concept (how much percentage) but using other words? We cannot tell what you mean because you don’t use «quotation marks» around words you mean literally.

It would help if you would give us example sentences, that you think are incorrect. We could tell you about those.

khushinamdev

New Member

Do you mean the phrase «how much percentage»? Or do you mean some sentence about percentages with «how much» in the sentence? Or sentences using the concept (how much percentage) but using other words? We cannot tell what you mean because you don’t use «quotation marks» around words you mean literally.

It would help if you would give us example sentences, that you think are incorrect. We could tell you about those.

heypresto

Senior Member

I’m not sure what you mean by ‘board exam’, but:

«How much/many percentage did you get in board exam?»

«What percentage did you get in the board exam?»

«What mark did you get in the board exam?»
«What did you get in the board exam?»

dojibear

Senior Member

Thanks for the examples. It helps me understand.

A «percentage» or a «percent» is a ratio, not a number. 60% is not 60 things, it is 60/100 (= 6/10 = 0.6). It is a fractional number of hundredths (100% = the whole thing). So the word «percent(age)» is used like the word «portion».

What portion of the pie is already eaten? How big a portion is gone?
What percent(age) of the pie is already eaten? How big a percent(age) is gone?

We don’t say «how many» about a single thing (a single number between zero and one). We do say «how much N» for an uncountable noun («how much coffee»), but N is the uncountable thing, not the units. For a portion of a countable object, we say «how big a portion» or «what portion» (how big a percentage? what percentage?).

For a test, you can use a different word. Many tests get a «score» that ranges from 0 to 100 «points». It is fine to ask «How many points did you get on the board exam?»

How many percent or how much percent

«What percent of

«How many» would be more correct, although i think «what percent» is more commonly used.

many is for anything that can be counted. ex 1-100 %, how many people, how many cars
, how many dollars, etc.

much is for things that cannot be counted. how much effort, how much money, how much love, etc.

@nobu_japan Yea, they were wrong, I’ve only ever heard «what percent of/is

«.
«What percent is 88 out of 106?»
«What percent of the Earth is water?»

«How many percent(s)» doesn’t sound natural

@nobu_japan «percent» itself means per hundred. So when you’re asking «how many percent», you are asking «how many of out 100». Saying «how many percents» sounds to me like «how many out of several 100s» which doesn’t make sense to me. Also, I only see this in math class, which focuses on the number. It is safest to just say «what percent» or «what percentage» in normal conversations.

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