Distinguishing Between Advise & Advice

Advise vs Advice

Although advise and advice may look similar and are sometimes used interchangeably, there is a difference in their usage and meanings. This distinction lies mainly in the part of speech they belong to – advise is considered a verb, while advice is considered a noun. However, this distinct difference is mainly used in British English, as the treatment of advise and advice changes in American English. In British English, advise is known as a verb and advice as a noun. In other words, advise is considered the verb form of advice.

What does Advise mean?

The Oxford dictionary defines advise as “offer suggestions about the best course of action to someone.” For example:
He advised me not to go to the bakery in that weather.
It should be noted that advise is known as the verb form of the word advice only in British English. In terms of pronunciation, the ‘s’ in advise is pronounced as the ‘z’ in words like zip and zero. In American English, the word advise is not much used in everyday life, though it appears in the dictionary.

What does Advice mean?

According to the Oxford dictionary, advice means “guidance or recommendations offered with regard to prudent action.” This is the main meaning, but the word is also used in the financial sphere to mean “a formal notice of a financial transaction.” Here’s an example of how advice is typically used:
John’s advice was very useful in choosing a book.
When it comes to pronunciation, the ‘c’ in advice should be pronounced like ‘s’ in words such as sip and sit. In American English, the word advice is more commonly used than advise in day-to-day life. The word advice can be used when seeking the opinion of others or when giving a recommendation to someone.

What is the difference between Advise and Advice?

The words advice and advise have a difference in their usage, though they may appear to be the same word. This difference is especially highlighted in British English, where advise is used as a verb and advice is considered the noun form of advise. In American English, this difference is not given much importance.

Advice is used more often when seeking an opinion, while advise is used more sparingly. Advise is more commonly used in the business circle, as seen in the sentence:
“Please advise me as to how to proceed in this matter.”

Observe the usage of the two words in these sentences:
“I would advise you to go to bed late tonight.”
and
“I am happy he took my advice.”
Both words convey the meaning of ‘counseling.’

Key Takeaways

• Advise is a verb, while advice is a noun.
• Both words have the same meaning of counseling or asking for someone’s opinion.
• In British English, the noun and verb difference is more significant, while in American English, this distinction is less important.