Practice or Practise?

What Is the Difference between "Practice" and "Practise"?

"Practice" and "practise" are easy to confuse if you're following UK writing conventions. ("Practise" is not used in the US.)

For American English:

  • Use "practice" for everything. correct tick

For British English:

  • Use "practice" for the noun.
  • Use "practise" for the verb.

Examples with "Practice" and "Practise"

These examples show how "practice" and "practise" are used in the UK and US:
  • Practice makes perfect. correct tick (small American flag) correct tick (small British flag)
  • (Here, "practice" is a noun.)
  • Shall I practice my handwriting? correct tick (small American flag) wrong cross (small British flag)
  • Shall I practise my handwriting? wrong cross (small American flag) correct tick (small British flag)
  • (These two examples feature verbs.)
NB: Some in the US are starting to follow the UK convention.
practice practise UK US
This infographic shows how "practice" and "practise" are used in the UK and US.

More about "Practice" and "Practise"

A Video Summary

Here is a short video summarizing the difference between "practice" and "practise." video lesson

Some Help for Brits

Tricks To Spot "Practice" and "Practise"

If you're following UK writing conventions and you're unsure how to identify nouns and verbs, you can use the substitution tricks below.

A Trick To Spot "Practice" and "Practise"

Try using "prepare" in its various forms (e.g., "preparation," "prepare", "prepares," "preparing," "prepared"). If you're drawn to "preparation," then you need "practice" because both are nouns. If the sentence still makes sense with another version of "prepare," then use the corresponding version of "practise." (This trick works because, apart from "preparation," all the forms of "prepare" are from the verb "to prepare.")

Example Sentences with "Practice" and "Practise"

Here, for the Brits, are some examples with "practice" and "practise."

Example 1:
  • You need more practice. correct tick
  • (Here, "practice" is a noun.)
Try the substitution trick:
  • You need more preparation. correct tick
  • (This sounds okay. Therefore, "practice" is correct. NB: "Preparation" and "practice" are both nouns.)
Example 2:
  • You should practise more. correct tick
  • (Here, "practice" is a verb.)
Try the substitution trick:
  • You should prepare more. correct tick
  • (This sounds okay. Therefore, "practise" is correct. NB: "Prepare" and "practise" are both verbs.)
Example 3:
  • They practice in the office for 10 weeks before being sent into the real world. wrong cross
Try the substitution trick:
  • They prepare in the office for 10 weeks before being sent into the real world. wrong cross
  • (You haven't used "preparation," so "practice" must be wrong. It should be "practise" because "prepare" sounds okay.)
Example 4:
  • Keep practising that stroke until the whistle blast. correct tick
Try the substitution trick:
  • Keep preparing that stroke until the whistle blast. correct tick
  • (This sounds okay. Therefore, "practising" is correct. NB: "Preparing" and "practising" are both formed from verbs.)

A Wrong Example from a Magazine

As this came from a British publication, it should say "practises" not "practices."
practice wrongly used as a verb
(And, yeah, it's not his best side!)

"Practicing" and "Practiced" Do Not Exist in British English

In the UK, there should be no confusion with "practising" or "practised" as these are words formed from the verb "to practise." In other words, for Brits, the words "practicing" and "practiced" do not exist. Look at this example:
  • I must keep practicing that accent. correct tick (small American flag) wrong cross (small British flag)

The Differences between British English and American English

Watch a video showing 10 big differences between British English (BrE) and American English (AmE). video lesson

Are you a visual learner? Do you prefer video to text? Here is a list of all our grammar videos.

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This page was written by Craig Shrives.