ABCcount

farther vs. further

This is one of the few usage rules where American and British English genuinely diverge, rather than one having drifted from the other.

farther

Used for physical, measurable distance.

  • The second office is farther from the station.
  • We walked farther than we meant to.
  • Which of the two is farther along the coast?
  • Nothing could be farther from the truth. (A fixed phrase — and one where "further" is equally accepted.)

further

Used for figurative distance, degree, or the sense of "additional." Also a verb meaning to advance something.

  • We should discuss this further before deciding.
  • Further delays would breach the agreement.
  • Nothing further was said about it.
  • The grant furthered her research by two years. (Only "further" works as a verb.)

Quick way to remember

If you could measure it in miles or metres, use "farther" — both contain "far." For anything abstract, additional or advancing, use "further." When you genuinely cannot tell which, "further" is the safer choice; it covers both in British usage and reads as natural in American.