I'm wondering if is there a logic in choosing -less instead of -free suffix. So is there Any criteria if we say wireless and not wirefree and sugarfree and not sugarless?
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The wirefree example is not really accurate. Some things are sugarless because they don't contain sugar; others are sugarfree because no sugar has been added to them.– LambieCommented 10 hours ago
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Potential cross-site duplicate has some good answers: english.stackexchange.com/questions/92128/…– KaiaCommented 9 hours ago
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@Lambie Is there really such a distinction between "sugarless gum" and "sugerfree gum"? When I try googling, I can't find any site comparing them.– BarmarCommented 8 hours ago
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1 Answer
There's no solid rule. There are some criteria you can use as guidelines:
When in doubt, use -less
Wiktionary lists 3,571 terms using -less and only 115 terms using -free.
The -less suffix also combines with -ly in words like aimlessly, but -free rarely does so.
Usage
The suffix -less is typically used with something that normally exists, previously existed, or should exist. Since a person usually has a head, a creature without a head would be headless. It's also far more common to see -less used for abstract or metaphorical nouns like wit or breath.
In contrast, -free is usually used when something has been deliberately removed or not included by virtue of its construction.
Wireless, sugarfree, other common sticking points.
In some cases it's just convention. Wireless could probably have been wire-free.
In other cases, like sugarfree/sugarless, both can be used but might have slightly different meanings. For instance, a dustless room is one that doesn't have dust in it. A dust-free room might be one where there are specific procedures and rules to prevent dust from getting into it, like a laboratory. Childless refers to somebody who doesn't have a child, while childfree refers to somebody who has made the active decision to avoid having a child.
Careless and carefree are another pair that have a large difference: careless refers to somebody who makes frequent mistakes, and carefree refers to somebody who isn't bothered or worried.
(Part of this answer is based on the answers to this English.SE question, particularly the answer from Kathryn.)
