"the most number of" or "the greatest number of "
Someone once corrected me that I should say "the greatest number of sth" instead of "the most number of sth " to emphasize the largest in number. Is that gramatically wrong? Thanks.

Question

"the most number of"  or "the greatest number of "
Someone once corrected me that I should say "the greatest number of sth" instead of "the most number of sth " to emphasize the largest in number. Is that gramatically wrong? Thanks.

Answer

"The greatest/largest number of...." is correct, however you'd be understood well in either case.

"The most" indicates the superlative degree for certain adjectives; for example: "the most active; the most intelligent; the most energetic; etc."

"The most" can also indicate the largest amount or number of something for countable nouns: for example: "the most apples; the most points; the most participants; etc."

I hope this explanation helps. If you have any more questions, please let me know.

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