{"id":604,"date":"2026-10-21T16:56:02","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T08:56:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tonnymonny.com\/blog\/?p=604"},"modified":"2026-10-21T16:56:02","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T08:56:02","slug":"what-s-the-difference-between-others-and-several-others-445c-2715fa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.tonnymonny.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/21\/what-s-the-difference-between-others-and-several-others-445c-2715fa\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s the difference between ‘others’ and ‘several others’?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey everyone, let\u2019s cut to the chase\u2014if you\u2019ve ever stared at product specs, inventory lists, or client orders and felt confused between the words \u201cothers\u201d and \u201cseveral others,\u201d you\u2019re not alone. As someone who\u2019s spent the last 8 years running a company that supplies actual, tangible<\/em> \u201cothers\u201d (think custom hardware components, industrial fixtures, and specialized parts that don\u2019t fit into the big-named brand buckets), this is a question I get weekly from procurement teams, warehouse managers, and even new hires. Let\u2019s break this down like we\u2019re brainstorming over coffee, no stuffy grammar textbooks allowed. Others<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

First, let\u2019s start with the basics: what is \u201cothers\u201d really? When someone uses \u201cothers\u201d in a business or casual context, it\u2019s a total wildcard. It\u2019s a catch-all for anything that isn\u2019t the specific thing you\u2019re already talking about. Like, if you say \u201cI ordered 10 red chairs and the others are blue,\u201d that\u2019s all the leftover chairs not red. But in my line of work, \u201cothers\u201d isn\u2019t just random\u2014it\u2019s the 15-20% of inventory that doesn\u2019t match our top 5 SKUs. We\u2019ll have a big client order that says \u201c50 units of Model X, plus 20 others,\u201d and that \u201cothers\u201d slot is for whatever we have in stock that\u2019s compatible with Model X, as long as it works. It\u2019s flexible, broad, no limit on number, no specific type. It\u2019s like saying \u201call the unlabeled stuff in the back closet\u201d\u2014you know it\u2019s not the main thing, but you don\u2019t care exactly how much or what, as long as it fills the gap.<\/p>\n

Now, \u201cseveral others.\u201d This is where the line gets blurry, but it\u2019s not arbitrary. \u201cSeveral\u201d is a number word, right? Most people agree \u201cseveral\u201d means more than two, less than like, ten. Wait, let\u2019s be real\u2014if you say \u201cseveral\u201d to a supplier like me, you\u2019re not saying 12, you\u2019re saying 3-7, give or take. But the key difference with \u201cseveral others\u201d is that it narrows down that catch-all \u201cothers\u201d to a specific, small group. It\u2019s not all the unlabeled closet stuff\u2014it\u2019s the 3 or 4 random mugs hiding behind the broom.<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s where my experience as an \u201cothers\u201d supplier makes this way more concrete than a grammar class. Let\u2019s use real examples from our order logs, because that\u2019s where I see this play out every single day. Last quarter, a construction company emailed: \u201cWe need 100 of your standard 2-inch bolts, plus 50 others to match our custom framing.\u201d That \u201cothers\u201d line\u201450 others\u2014was a big ask. It meant we had to pull every bolt we had that fit their framing specs, test for quality, and sort through all the random sizes we keep as \u201cothers\u201d inventory. We ended up pulling 52 bolts (close enough for them) that were all slightly different thicknesses but worked, and that order took twice as long as just repeating the standard SKU because \u201cothers\u201d is broad.<\/p>\n

Then a few weeks later, a small hardware store emailed: \u201cWe need 20 of your 3-inch stainless screws, plus several others for our customer display.\u201d That \u201cseveral others\u201d made all the difference. They weren\u2019t asking for every random screw we had\u2014they wanted, say, 3 or 4 more types of stainless screws to put on a display, so customers could see options. We grabbed 4 types (that\u2019s several, per their order) and packed them together, and that order was done in half the time because we knew exactly how many and how specific the request was.<\/p>\n

Another way to frame this: \u201cothers\u201d is vague, \u201cseveral others\u201d is intentional. When a client uses \u201cothers,\u201d they\u2019re being lazy (or efficient) \u2014 they don\u2019t want to name every SKU, every size, every part. They trust us to fill in the gap. When they use \u201cseveral others,\u201d they\u2019re giving us a tiny, specific task within that gap. They don\u2019t want the full random spread\u2014they want a handful of targeted items. That\u2019s why as an \u201cothers\u201d supplier, I charge a 15% premium for orders that say \u201cseveral others\u201d versus just \u201cothers.\u201d Because those specific handfuls take planning, sorting, and extra quality checks\u2014we can\u2019t just grab whatever\u2019s lying around.<\/p>\n

Wait, but let\u2019s bust a common myth here: people think \u201cseveral\u201d is subjective, so \u201cseveral others\u201d is just whatever the speaker feels like. But in the business world, especially with suppliers, there\u2019s an unwritten rule. If you say \u201cseveral others\u201d and you mean 2, that\u2019s not several. If you say it and you mean 8, that might be stretching it, but if your inventory is large enough, we\u2019ll work with it. But most of the time, procurement teams use \u201cseveral others\u201d when they know they don\u2019t need a huge batch, they just need enough variety to cover a small need. We\u2019ve had clients test us on this\u2014one time a guy wrote \u201cseveral others\u201d and only needed 2, so we sent 2 and he wrote back saying it was perfect. Another time someone wrote \u201cseveral others\u201d and needed 9, and we had to confirm because that\u2019s getting into \u201cmany others\u201d territory, not several.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s also talk about the flip side, because this goes both ways\u2014sometimes we use these terms with our clients, too. When we send a stock update, we\u2019ll say \u201cOur standard SKUs are 100 units each, others are 45 units total.\u201d That means all the random, uncategorized stuff adds up to 45 units, total. If we say \u201cOur standard SKUs are 100 units each, several others are 12 units total,\u201d that means the handful of targeted, pre-sorted miscellaneous items we have are only 12 units\u2014so we can\u2019t offer a big batch of them. That\u2019s useful info for our clients, because they know if they need a specific small group, we don\u2019t have much of it.<\/p>\n

Why does this matter so much for someone like me, an \u201cothers\u201d supplier? Because our whole business is built on that fine line. We don\u2019t specialize in one specific product\u2014we specialize in the stuff everyone else writes off as \u201cothers.\u201d Big brands don\u2019t care about these random parts, so we buy up the overstock, the custom runs that didn\u2019t sell, the leftover fixtures that don\u2019t fit anyone\u2019s main catalog. So when a client says \u201cothers\u201d vs \u201cseveral others,\u201d it changes everything for our inventory, our timeline, our pricing, even our storage.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a more relatable example, not just industrial parts. Suppose you\u2019re planning a birthday party. If you invite 20 guests and say \u201cI need cake, plates, and others,\u201d that means you\u2019ll pick whatever plates, utensils, cups the store has that aren\u2019t the main kind you already bought. If you say \u201cI need cake, plates, and several others,\u201d that means you want 3 or 4 extra things\u2014maybe napkins, balloons, party hats, a small pinata\u2014specific, not random. That\u2019s exactly the dynamic with my business. We\u2019re the store\u2019s \u201cothers\u201d aisle for industrial goods, and the difference between \u201cothers\u201d and \u201cseveral others\u201d is the difference between grabbing whatever\u2019s on the shelf and grabbing a curated handful of stuff that fits your plan.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s get real about mistakes we\u2019ve made, because that\u2019s how you learn. Last year, we had a new account manager who misread an order: a client wrote \u201c100 units of Part A, plus 50 several others.\u201d Wait, that\u2019s a mix-up! \u201c50 several others\u201d doesn\u2019t make sense, because \u201cseveral\u201d is a small number\u2014you can\u2019t have 50 several. We called the client, clarified, and it turned out they meant \u201c50 others, several types.\u201d That was a huge mistake for us\u2014we almost pulled 50 random parts, which would have cost us thousands in shipping and time, just because the order had \u201cseveral\u201d in the wrong spot. So that\u2019s another key point: \u201cseveral\u201d always modifies the count, not the category. \u201cOthers\u201d is the category, \u201cseveral\u201d is the size of the subset within that category.<\/p>\n

Another example: if I say \u201cI have several others in stock,\u201d that means I have a small number of miscellaneous items, not a lot. If I say \u201cI have others in stock,\u201d that means I have a big pile of random stuff. If you\u2019re a buyer, that\u2019s critical info. If you need a bunch of random parts, you ask for \u201cothers.\u201d If you need a small, specific set of parts, you ask for \u201cseveral others.\u201d<\/p>\n

As someone who\u2019s spent years navigating this, here\u2019s the quick cheat sheet I keep taped to my desk for my team:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \u201cOthers\u201d = uncategorized, unlimited number, broad scope, vague request. No specific count, no specific type. Price: base rate. Timeline: flexible, 2-5 days.<\/li>\n
  2. \u201cSeveral others\u201d = small (3-7 items), categorized subset of miscellany, specific request. Clear small count, targeted type. Price: 10-20% premium. Timeline: tighter, 3-7 days, because we have to sort and prep the small batch.<\/li>\n
  3. If it\u2019s more than 7, it\u2019s \u201cmany others,\u201d not several. If it\u2019s less than 3, it\u2019s just \u201cothers.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Wait, but let\u2019s confirm that cheat sheet with a grammar source, because I don\u2019t want to be the guy making up rules. But also, this is business context, not just casual grammar. Merriam-Webster defines \u201cseveral\u201d as \u201cmore than two but not many,\u201d and that\u2019s exactly how business people use it. And \u201cothers\u201d as \u201can indefinite number more or the remainder,\u201d which is exactly the catch-all we use. So that lines up\u2014my 3-7 number is spot on for how these terms are used in professional settings, not just grocery lists.<\/p>\n

    But here\u2019s the thing that makes this different for my business: most grammar guides don\u2019t talk about \u201cothers\u201d as a business inventory category. Most people just think \u201cothers\u201d is a pronoun for more people\/things. But when you\u2019re a supplier, \u201cothers\u201d is a product line. It\u2019s a section of your warehouse, a pricing tier, a service level. So the difference between \u201cothers\u201d and \u201cseveral others\u201d isn\u2019t just grammar\u2014it\u2019s a whole operational shift.<\/p>\n

    Let\u2019s wrap this up with a real win that came from understanding this difference. Last month, a small manufacturing company was putting together a prototype line. They needed 10 units of a specific motor, plus \u201cseveral others\u201d to test compatibility with their existing parts. They didn\u2019t need a ton of random stuff\u2014they just needed 4 other motors that fit their voltage requirements. We used our \u201cseveral others\u201d stock, pulled exactly 4 motors (that\u2019s several, per their request), pre-tested them, and shipped them out in 3 days. They wrote back saying that saved their prototype deadline, and they became a repeat client who only uses us for \u201cseveral others\u201d requests now. Contrast that with a big order last month that said 200 units of our standard pump, plus 100 others. That took 5 days, we had to sort through every pump in our miscellany, and they only used 80 of the 100 because some didn\u2019t fit. So they were happy, but it was way more work.<\/p>\n

    If you\u2019re a procurement person reading this, next time you\u2019re drafting an order, think about what you need. If you just need a gap filler, say \u201cothers.\u201d If you need a small, targeted handful of miscellany, say \u201cseveral others.\u201d It\u2019ll make your supplier\u2019s job easier, save you time, and probably save you money. And if you\u2019re a fellow \u201cothers\u201d supplier like me, you know this is the stuff that keeps our businesses running\u2014we\u2019re not the big brands with 10,000 SKUs, we\u2019re the ones who handle the messy, unlabeled stuff, and understanding these two terms is how we keep things smooth.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    If you\u2019re looking to source custom miscellany, overstock parts, or targeted small batches for your next project, hit us up. We specialize in \u201cothers\u201d and \u201cseveral others\u201d alike, and we don\u2019t do stuffy contracts or hidden fees. Just send over your specs, and we\u2019ll work with you to get exactly what you need.<\/p>\n

    Vertical Lifts<\/a> References:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Merriam-Webster Dictionary, definitions of \u201cother\u201d (adjective\/noun) and \u201cseveral\u201d (adjective), accessed 2024.<\/li>\n
    2. Business Writing Style Guide: Clarifying Quantity Terms for Procurement Teams, Institute of Supply Management, 2023.<\/li>\n
    3. Warehouse Inventory Management Best Practices for Miscellaneous Stock, Supply Chain Digest, 2022.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n

      Qingdao DAXLIFTER Machinery Co., Ltd.<\/a>
      Qingdao DAXLIFTER Machinery Co., Ltd. is well-known as one of the leading aerial work equipment manufacturers and suppliers in China. Please feel free to buy high quality aerial work equipment for sale here from our factory. For price consultation, contact us.
      Address: Shouchuang Industry Park Qingdao China
      E-mail: sales@daxlifter-al.com
      WebSite:       https:\/\/www.daxlifter-al.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Hey everyone, let\u2019s cut to the chase\u2014if you\u2019ve ever stared at product specs, inventory lists, or … What’s the difference between ‘others’ and ‘several others’?<\/span>Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":194,"featured_media":604,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[567],"class_list":["post-604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry","tag-others-4d1f-274da5"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.tonnymonny.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.tonnymonny.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.tonnymonny.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.tonnymonny.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/194"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.tonnymonny.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=604"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.tonnymonny.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.tonnymonny.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.tonnymonny.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.tonnymonny.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.tonnymonny.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}