Advice vs. Advise – Which is Correct?

The words “advice” and “advise” are frequently confused due to their similar appearance and sound, yet they serve entirely different grammatical roles. Advice is a noun referring to guidance or recommendations, while advise is a verb meaning to offer counsel. Remembering this distinction is key to using them correctly in your writing and speech.

Advice or Advise – Which is Correct?

Both “advice” and “advise” are correct words in American English, but they function as different parts of speech. The core difference lies in their grammatical roles: advice is always a noun, and advise is always a verb. Confusion often arises because they share a common root and meaning related to giving counsel, but their usage in a sentence is distinct.

Understanding these distinct roles is crucial for mastering Advise vs. Advice in your everyday communication.

The Best Trick to Remember the Difference

A simple trick to remember the difference is to focus on the last two letters:

• Advice (ends with -ice): Think of ice as a solid, tangible thing, like a piece of information or guidance. It’s a noun.
• Advise (ends with -ise): Think of rise, an action. It’s a verb, indicating the act of giving that information.

Another helpful mnemonic is to associate “advice” with “practice” (both nouns) and “advise” with “practise” (the verb form in British English, though less direct for American English speakers). For American English, remember “advice is a noun, advise is a verb.”

Word	Part of Speech	Meaning	Example
Advice	Noun	Guidance or recommendations offered with regard to prudent future action.	She gave me excellent advice on my career path.
Advise	Verb	To offer suggestions about the best course of action to someone.	I would advise you to save money for retirement.

How to Use Advice

Advice is an uncountable noun, meaning it does not have a plural form (you wouldn’t say “advices”). It refers to suggestions, recommendations, or guidance. When you want to quantify it, you use phrases like “a piece of advice,” “some advice,” or “much advice.” It is often given in a helpful or constructive tone, but can also be unsolicited.

Example 1: My financial advisor offered some excellent advice on investing in the current market.

Example 2: Can you give me a piece of advice about how to approach this difficult conversation?

Example 3: Despite receiving plenty of advice, he decided to follow his own instincts.

What are the different forms of Advice?

As an uncountable noun, “advice” does not typically change form for pluralization in standard English. You cannot say “advices.” If you need to refer to multiple distinct recommendations, you would use phrases such as “pieces of advice,” “bits of advice,” or “items of advice.”

Etymology of the word Advice

The word “advice” comes from Old French avis, meaning “opinion, view, judgment.” This, in turn, derived from the Latin phrase ad visum, which meant “to the sight” or “to what seems good.” It entered English in the 13th century, initially meaning “opinion” or “consideration,” before evolving to its current sense of “counsel.”

How to Use Advise

Advise is a verb, and like all verbs, it changes form depending on the tense and subject. It means to give counsel, to recommend, or to inform. It implies an action of offering guidance or suggestions. You can advise a person, or you can advise someone to do something.

Example 1: The doctor will advise you on the best course of treatment for your condition.

Example 2: I strongly advise against making any hasty decisions without further research.

Example 3: Her mentor advised her to pursue further education to advance her career.

What are the different forms of Advise?

As a regular verb, “advise” follows standard conjugation rules:

• Base form: advise (e.g., I advise)
• Present participle: advising (e.g., I am advising)
• Past tense: advised (e.g., I advised)
• Past participle: advised (e.g., I have advised)
• Third-person singular present: advises (e.g., He advises)

Etymology of the word Advise

The verb “advise” also stems from the Old French aviser, meaning “to consider, reflect, look at, teach, warn,” which itself comes from the noun avis. It entered English around the same time as “advice” in the 13th century, solidifying its role as the active form of giving counsel.

Related Concepts

Understanding broader grammatical concepts helps solidify the distinction between “advice” and “advise” and similar word pairs.

• Nouns vs. Verbs: This is the fundamental distinction between “advice” (a noun, a thing or concept) and “advise” (a verb, an action). Many English words have noun and verb forms that are spelled or pronounced similarly, such as “practice” (noun) and “practise” (verb, British English), or “effect” (noun) and “affect” (verb).
• Homophones/Homographs: While not perfect homophones (the ‘s’ sound differs slightly), these words are often confused because they look and sound alike. Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings (e.g., “to,” “too,” “two”). Homographs are words spelled the same but have different meanings and sometimes pronunciations (e.g., “lead” – the metal, vs. “lead” – to guide).

Examples from Media and Literature

• “Good advice is always certain to be ignored, but that’s no reason not to give it.” — Agatha Christie, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
• “Never take anyone’s advice. Even mine. Don’t take it.” — Jordan Peterson, 12 Rules for Life
• “I would advise you to keep your eyes wide open before marriage, and half-shut afterwards.” — Benjamin Franklin
• “Our political leaders must advise the public on the potential impacts of climate change.” — News report, June 1, 2026
• “The best advice I ever got was to always be myself, but to continuously learn and improve.” — Oprah Winfrey

Practice Exercises

Choose the correct word to complete the sentence.

1. Could you please give me some ______ on how to improve my public speaking?
2. The financial expert will ______ clients on making sound investment choices.
3. It’s important to listen to good ______ when starting a new business.
4. I ______ you to review the contract carefully before signing it.
5. Despite the sound ______, she chose to follow her own path.

Answer Key

1. advice
2. advise
3. advice
4. advise
5. advice

Advice Synonyms

Synonym	Definition
Counsel	Formal guidance or advice, especially from an expert.
Guidance	Direction or assistance provided to someone.
Recommendation	A suggestion or proposal as to the best course of action.
Suggestion	An idea or plan put forward for consideration.

Advise Synonyms

Synonym	Definition
Counsel	To give advice to someone.
Recommend	To suggest or put forward (something) as being suitable for a particular purpose or role.
Suggest	To put forward an idea or plan for consideration.
Guide	To show or indicate the way to (someone).

Frequently Asked Questions

Question 1: Is “advices” a word?
No, “advices” is not a correct word in standard English. “Advice” is an uncountable noun, so it does not have a plural form. To refer to multiple pieces of advice, use phrases like “pieces of advice” or “items of advice.”

Question 2: What is the main difference between advice and advise?
The main difference is their part of speech: “advice” is a noun (a thing, guidance), and “advise” is a verb (an action, to give guidance). Think of “advice” as the information itself, and “advise” as the act of delivering that information.

Question 3: How can I remember which one to use?
A helpful trick is to remember that “advice” ends with -ice, like the noun “ice.” “Advise” ends with -ise, like the verb “rise.” If you’re talking about the thing you receive, use “advice.” If you’re talking about the action of giving it, use “advise.”

Conclusion

Mastering the distinction between “advice” and “advise” is a simple yet significant step in refining your English language skills. Remember that “advice” is the noun – the counsel itself – while “advise” is the verb – the act of giving that counsel. By associating “advice” with “ice” (a thing) and “advise” with “rise” (an action), you can easily choose the correct word. Pro Tip: Using these words correctly demonstrates precision and professionalism in your communication, enhancing your credibility in both academic and professional settings.