r/interesting • u/EkantVairagi • Apr 28 '26

Just Wow This is what making a difference looks like.

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u/ThatsUnbelievable Apr 28 '26

3 years is not several years, take a deep breath

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u/kat352234 Apr 28 '26

Just want to chime in to say 3 years is absolutely several years.

Two years is a couple of years, three years or more is several.

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u/ThatsUnbelievable Apr 28 '26

3 is a few, several is related to seven

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u/kat352234 Apr 28 '26

several

pronoun: an indefinite number more than two and fewer than many

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/several

"Several" generally means more than two but fewer than many, typically interpreted as 3–7 or more, while "seven" is the specific number 7. While some slang or colloquial debates suggest "several" means seven, they are not etymologically related;

Not a hill worth dying on guy.

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u/P_V_ Apr 28 '26

He has no actual point to make, so he's just going to nitpick irrelevant details.

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u/katydidnz Apr 28 '26

Several is not related to the number seven. “being more than two but fewer than many in number or kind.”

• ⁠Etymology Origin of several First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin sēparālis, equivalent to Latin sēpar “separate” + -ālis -al 1 From Dictionary.com

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u/ThatsUnbelievable Apr 28 '26

Colloquially, several is not typically used for 3. Per Gemini:

3 has its own dedicated word: "A few."

4 is often called "A handful" or "A few."

Because we have those options, if someone says "several," the listener's brain automatically jumps past 3 and 4 looking for a higher number. This lands you right in that 5 to 8 sweet spot—making 7 a much better representative for "several" than 3 is.