Software: Countable or Uncountable? | Mastering Grammar

(Last Updated: 16 September 2026)

Is Software Countable or Uncountable?

Software is an uncountable noun and should not be used in the plural form. Instead of softwares, we refer to multiple software programs collectively as software:

✅ The company develops innovative software for educational purposes.
❌ The company develops innovative softwares for educational purposes.

✅ I need to install some new software on my computer.
❌ I need to install some new softwares on my computer.

✅ John specialises in creating security software for businesses.
❌ John specialises in creating security softwares for businesses.

✅ You don't need so much software to get started with basic photo editing.
❌ You don't need so many softwares to get started with basic photo editing.

To refer to a single software program, use a piece of software or a software program. Do not say a software:

✅ Can you recommend a piece of software for graphic design?
❌ Can you recommend a software for graphic design?

✅ I just bought a new piece of software for video editing.
❌ I just bought a new software for video editing.

✅ Each piece of software in the suite serves a different function.
❌ Each software in the suite serves a different function.

✅ We have several pieces of software for creating animated videos.
❌ We have several softwares for creating animated videos.

The entry for the noun software in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

I hope you have found this content helpful in your English learning journey. If so, please consider buying me a coffee. Your support keeps this blog running and is greatly appreciated!

Examples from the Media

U.S. certification will give security-conscious organizations, like government agencies, the ability to use software which separates sensitive corporate data from personal content on a single mobile device. —Toronto Star (2014)

Personal computers are powerful enough to run any program we could possibly want. So why is there still so much software that won't run on everybody's desktop? —The Sydney Morning Herald (2004)

The flaw was uncovered earlier this month in a piece of software called Log4j, which helps applications interact with one-another across computer networks. —Daily Mail (2021)

"These pieces of software seem so abstract, almost fake with their funny, spooky names, but I think they emphasize that the web and IRL [in real life] are not different spaces," Guo told Vice. —The Washington Post (2019)

Recommended Further Reading

Hardware: Countable or Uncountable?

Real-World Examples of Misuse

1. Software is an uncountable noun.
2. The usual phrase in this context would be breaking the law.
(Source: Learning through Practice—Grammar and Usage for Senior Secondary Students: Multiple Choice Questions)
(Also by the Same Author: 1/2/3/4/5)

1. The item different walks of life is a phrase, not a single word. Changing words given to given words or phrase makes the instruction accurate and inclusive.
2. Word was replaced with item to account for both single words and phrases.
3. The phrase only once is more standard and natural-sounding than once only. While once only is grammatically acceptable, the placement of only tends to precede the word it modifies, which helps provide clearer emphasis. In this case, only modifies once.
4. The phrase for students can be removed to avoid repetition within the sentence. The first mention of students sufficiently addresses the beneficiaries of the interactive learning tools and enjoyment, making the second mention redundant.
5. The comma should be removed because there are only two items in the list (digital storytelling platforms and graphic design software). A comma before and is used for lists of three or more items (the Oxford comma) or to join two independent clauses. Here, it creates an unnecessary pause and makes the sentence feel slightly disjointed.
6. The phrase such as introduces a non-restrictive (non-essential) element. The examples that follow are not necessary to identify which people from different walks of life you meet; they simply illustrate the range. In English, a comma is used before such as when it introduces a non-restrictive clause or phrase.
7. The original used his/her, which is grammatically correct but clunky and outdated. Modern English widely accepts the singular their with indefinite pronouns like everyone. This change makes the sentence more natural and concise.
8. When referring to society as a general, abstract concept (the community at large), we use no article (zero article).
9. To make the sentence less wordy, so as to can be replaced with to without changing the meaning.
10. The word software is an uncountable noun in English. It cannot take the indefinite article a (or an). You can say a piece of software or a software program, but not a software.
11. In British English, the standard spelling is funfair as one word. Fun fair (two words) is sometimes seen but is less common. In American English, it is more common to hear such an event described as a carnival or simply a fair.
(Source: St. Rose of Lima's School)