Advise or Advice?

by Craig Shrives

Advise or Advice?

What is the difference between "advise" and "advice"?
  • Advise. "Advise" is a verb. The verb "to advise" means "to give advice" or "to notify." For example:
    • Please advise me. I need you to advise me.
      • (Please give me advice. I need you to give me advice.)
    • I advised him I was leaving.
      • (I notified him I was leaving.)
  • Advice. "Advice" is a noun. It means "help" or "a suggestion for a beneficial course of action." For example:
    • Please give me your advice. I need your advice.
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A Video Summary

Here is a short video summarizing the difference between "advice" and "advise."

More about "Advise" and "Advice"

For native English speakers, the confusion over "advise" and "advice" usually disappears when the pronunciation is made clear.
  • Advise rhymes with prize.
  • Advice rhymes with mice.
NB: The use of "advice" and "advise" has nothing to do with US or UK writing conventions.

Example Sentences with "Advise"

Here are some example sentences with "advise":
  • The rich are always advising the poor, but the poor seldom return the compliment.
  • Attach yourself to those who advise you rather than praise you.
  • Women will never be as successful as men because they have no wives to advise them.
  • I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it.

Example Sentences with "Advice"

Here are some example sentences with "advice":
  • Take my advice. I don't use it anyway.
  • He who can take advice is often superior to him who can give it.
  • Many receive advice, but only the wise profit from it.

A Trick to Spot "Advice"

If you're unsure whether to write "advice" or "advise," use the word "assistance" instead. If your sentence still makes sense, then you need "advice" not "advise." This infographic gives an example:
advice or advise
Infographic explaining when to use "advice" and "advise."

The "assistance"-substitution trick works because "advice" and "assistance" are both nouns. If you find yourself trying to use "assist," "assists," "assisting," or anything else other than "assistance," then "advice" is wrong.

Look at these two examples:
  • I offered my advice.
  • I offered my assistance.

A Little Trick to Spot "Advise"

Try using the verb "to assist" (in its various forms, e.g., "assisting," "assisted," "assists"). If the sentence still makes sense, then "advise" is almost certainly correct. This trick works because "to advise" is a verb, just like "to assist." (If you find yourself trying to use "assistance," then you should be using "advice".) For example:
  • Are you trying to advise me?
  • Are you trying to assist me?

  • I do not need your advise.
  • I do not need your assistance.
Interactive Exercise
Here are three randomly selected questions from a larger exercise, which can be edited, printed to create an exercise worksheet, or sent via email to friends or students.

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See Also

adverse or averse? affect or effect? Ms., Miss, or Mrs? avenge or revenge? bare or bear? complement or compliment? dependant or dependent? discreet or discrete? disinterested or uninterested? e.g. or i.e.? envy or jealousy? imply or infer? its or it's? material or materiel? poisonous or venomous? practice or practise? principal or principle? tenant or tenet? who's or whose? What are nouns? What are verbs? List of easily confused words