"Farther" vs. "Further" in Inspection Reports
by Nick Gromicko, CMI®
Merriam-Webster Dictionary states that farther and further are interchangeable. However, recently, their use is becoming distinguished by grammarians. Here is the difference:
Farther should be used to show a relation to physical distance:
“The downspout should discharge farther from the house.”
A little trick is to see if an actual distance can be used in place of the word farther in your sentence:
“The downspout should discharge 6 feet from the house.”
If it can, you were correct in using farther.
Further should be used when referring to degree, time, space, or extent or depth, as in:
“This problem should be investigated further by a roofing contractor.”
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