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Advise vs. Advice – What’s the Difference?
English Grammar Rules
To whom do you turn when a tough decision perplexes you? Do you seek out someone who
has faced similar choices? If so, you undoubtedly pay close attention as they tell you how they
weighed the options. If they give suggestions, you carefully implement those that seem likely to
benefit your situation. What is it you should thank them for giving you—advise or advice?
Advise is a verb that means to suggest what should be done, to recommend, or to give
information to someone. The S of advise sounds like a Z.
Advice is a noun that means a suggestion about what you should do. The C of advice sounds
like S.
Advise vs. Advice–How Should I Use Each?
The S of advise sounds like a Z. To advise is to suggest what should be done, to recommend,
or to give information to someone. In other words, to advise means to give advice. For example,
here are a couple of examples of advise in a sentence: The lawyer advised the client not to sign
anything that she did not read first. My mother always advises me to bring a jacket to the movie
theater because the air conditioning can be chilly. Synonyms of “to advise” are “to give
suggestions, to counsel, and to notify.” Would you like to see some quotes from literature?
”Never love a wild thing, Mr. Bell,” Holly advised him. —Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Mr. Wormtail bids Professor Snape good day, and advises him to wash his hair, the
slimeball. —J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The C of advice sounds like S. When someone gives you a suggestion about what you should
do, that’s advice. In this sense, it is an uncountable noun (that means you can’t have “an
advice” or “many advices”).
Elena gave her daughter advice about what to say to her father.
Occasionally, you will see expressions that divide advice into units of measurement that can be
pluralized, such as “pieces of advice” or “words of advice.”
The daughter carefully followed her mother’s words of advice.
Guidance, counsel, and direction are synonyms of advice. A person who gives advice formally
or on a regular basis is an advisor or an adviser.
How can you remember the difference between the noun form and the verb form? Just imagine
what counsel your friends would give you on a hot day: “Take the ICE,” your friends would
advise. The last three letters, -ice, of advice and the fact that the noun “advice” often pairs with
the verb “take” will remind you of its function. You can also try to remember some famous
comments about advice:
Here’s some advice. Stay alive. ―Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games
I always pass on good advice. It is the only thing to do with it. It is never of any use to
oneself. ―Oscar Wilde, An Ideal Husband
Have you mastered the difference between advice and advise? Let’s test your understanding
with a common expression. Should you say please advise or advice? If you have heard it said,
you recognize the telltale Z sound of the verb advise. (Some people take umbrage at advise
without an object. Here are some sentences that they would consider more acceptable than
“please advise”: Please advise me when the shipment is due. Please advise the team of your
wishes.) If it were advice (noun form), the punctuation would have to reflect a demand and the
pronunciation would change: Please, advice!
You don’t have to handle your problems on your own. You can ask others to advise you. If their
suggestions help you, you should let them know. And what is it that you should thank them for
giving you? Now you know the answer: Advice!
