- 2-minute read
- 7th October 2020
Word Choice: Advice vs. Advise
It’s easy to confuse ‘advice’ and ‘advise’, as they only differ by one letter and we use them in similar contexts (both are related to suggesting or recommending something). But there is an important difference between these terms, so you won’t want to mix them up in your writing.
Check out our guide below to find out how these words work.
Advice (Noun)
If someone offers you ‘advice’, they are suggesting what you should say or do in a particular situation. For example, we could use it in the following:
I need some advice on the best way to get to London.
The service provides advice on housing issues.
Spelled with a ‘c’, ‘advice’ is always a noun. It’s also an uncountable noun, which means it has no plural form (i.e. we can’t talk about ‘many advices’). However, you can refer to an amount of advice:
My father gave me a lot of advice about shaving.
Or you can refer to ‘pieces of’ or ‘bits of’ advice to pluralise it:
My mother gave me two pieces of advice before I left home.
When spoken, meanwhile, you pronounce ‘advice’ to rhyme with ‘ice’.
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Advise (Verb)
‘Advise’, with an ‘s’, is always a verb. This word thus means ‘give advice’:
We advise taking out insurance for this computer.
She advised me to take the next bus for three stops.
More rarely, ‘advise’ can also mean ‘formally provide with information’:
If the flight is cancelled, we will advise you of where to claim a refund.
And rather than ‘ice’, ‘advise’ rhymes with words like ‘organise’ and ‘prize’.
Summary: Advice or Advise?
While these words are related, they are also importantly different:
- Advice is a noun meaning ‘a suggestion for how to act’.
- Advise is a verb meaning ‘give advice’.
If you struggle with these words, though, think about the sentence ‘My advice is to eat ice on a hot day.’ If you can remember that ‘advice’ ends in ‘ice’, and that both words are nouns, you should be able to avoid mix ups.
That’s not all, though! We always have proofreaders on hand to help you check your spelling is correct. So, to be extra sure your writing is always error free, why not submit a document today?
