Advise and Advice
The Quick Answer
What is the difference between advise and advice?Advise
Advise is a verb. The verb to advise means to give advice. For example:
- Please advise me. I need you to advise me.
(Please give me advice. I need you to give me advice.)
Advice
Advice is a noun. It means help or a suggestion for a beneficial course of action.
- Please give me your advice. I need your advice.
Advise and Advice
There is often confusion over the words advise and advice. The very quick answer is this:- Advise is a verb. (It rhymes with prize.)
- Advice is a noun. (It rhymes with mice.)
Infographic explaining when to use advice and advise.
Advise
The word advise is a verb meaning to give advice. (It rhymes with prize.) To advise can also mean to notify (e.g., I advised him I was leaving.)Examples:
- 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.
Advice
The word advice is a noun meaning a suggestion for a beneficial course of action. (Advice rhymes with mice.)Examples:
- 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.
See Also
adverse or averse? affect or effect? appraise or apprise? 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
Interactive Test
Top Tip
A Little Trick To Spot Advice
Try using the word assistance instead of advice. If the sentence still makes sense, then advice is almost certainly correct. (This trick works because advice is a noun, just like the word assistance.)- 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) instead of advise. If the sentence still makes sense, then advise is almost certainly correct. However, if you find yourself trying to use assistance, then you should be using advice (because both are nouns). (This trick works because to advise is a verb, just like to assist.)- Are you trying to advise me?
- Are you trying to assist me?
- I do not need your advise.
- I do not need your assistance.