Commonly confused words are frequent encounters in the process of crafting an academic paper. Ensuring clarity and accuracy in language is imperative, particularly in academic writing, to express the meanings of your thoughts accurately. For example, the words “advice” and “advise” can be easily mistaken for one another because of their close spellings, resulting in false use. This article will clarify the distinction between “advice” and “advise” and guide you on their proper application.
Definition of “advice vs. advise”
The word “advice” is a noun and refers to a recommendation or guidance with a potential solution for effectiveness in future actions. Advice is usually given by an authoritative or highly respected figure. On the other hand, the word “to advise” represents a verb and describes the action of someone recommending the best way to tackle a matter.
Advice
… is a noun that refers to a recommendation or prudent suggestion of a solution.
Advise
… is a verb that describes someone offering the best method to solve an issue.
It is easier to distinguish “advice” from “advise” when the respective roles they play in sentence structures and context are fully understood. However, “ice” represents a noun, and “ise” often refers to the ending syllable of a verb, which may be a helpful mnemonic in remembering the difference between “advice” and “advise.”
Using the word “advice”
The term “advice” is a noun and refers to recommendations or guidance offered for future actions in potentially challenging situations. This word is often linked with matters related to finance, personal life, and work.
“Advice” as a noun
The word “advice” as a noun depicts the suggestions or guidance typically offered by someone of higher authority to help another person decide to tackle a specific matter.
Examples
- Financial advice should be thought through before addressing it.
- Her husband often gives her unsolicited advice.
- The lawyer provided valuable advice on handling the case.
“Advice” as a plural form
The word “advice” is categorized as an uncountable noun, which means it does not have a plural form. In other words, “advices” is an incorrect word and does not exist. To indicate a plural form of the word “advice,” you must add phrases prior, such as “pieces of”, “bits of”, and “types of.”
Examples
- She received invaluable pieces of advice throughout the lesson.
- The bits of advice he gave me were very useful in the long run.
- The life coach gave different types of advice to the participants.
Tip for using “advice” correctly
Using synonyms of the word “advice” in a sentence can help remember how to use it correctly. The following illustrates four synonyms that can replace the word “advice” in a sentence.
| Synonyms | Examples |
| Recommendation | The doctor's advice was to drink plenty of fluids and bed rest. |
| The doctor's recommendation was to drink plenty of fluids and bed rest. | |
| Guidance | I always seek my manager's advice before making any budget decisions. |
| I always seek my manager's guidance before making any budget decisions. | |
| Suggestion | They gave me some unsolicited advice about my finances. |
| They gave me some unsolicited suggestions about my finances. | |
| Tip | Her best advice to young writers is to read a lot and write every day. |
| Her best tip to young writers is to read a lot and write every day. |
Using the word “advise”
The word “to advise” is a verb and relates to the noun “advice.” It describes someone offering recommendations or suggestions about the best course of action to someone who may have expressed a dilemma.
“Advise” as a verb
“To advise” refers to the verb form of the noun “advice” and represents the action of giving a tip about the best way to tackle a difficult situation.
Examples
- My doctor advised me to reduce my sugar consumption.
- She strongly advises taking the next bus, due to weather conditions.
- He advised against traveling during typhoon season.
Tip for using “advise” correctly
Using synonyms can help distinguish between the meaning of “advice” and “advise”. There will be four synonyms of “to advise” illustrated in the following table, with an example sentence for each.
| Synonyms | Examples |
| Recommend | I advise you to check the weather forecast before the hike tomorrow. |
| I recommend checking the weather forecast before the hike tomorrow. | |
| Guide | Can you please advise me on the best way to the hotel? |
| Can you please guide me on the best way to the hotel? | |
| Suggest | She advised patience while waiting for the voting results. |
| She suggested patience while waiting for the voting results. | |
| Counsel | The doctor advised her against high-impact exercise. |
| The doctor counselled her against high-impact exercise. |
Test yourself!
Practice sheet
To check your ability to distinguish between “advice” and “advise”, complete the 10 sentences by filling in the blank spaces. Afterward, refer to the second tab for the correct answers.
- He would greatly appreciate it if you could _____ him on this matter.
- Her _____ was always to stay true to oneself.
- Would she be able to _____ me on the best course of action?
- I’m not in a position to give professional _____, but personally, I’d suggest being careful.
- She didn’t take the _____ and now regrets her decision.
- The weather seems strange; I’d _____ checking the forecast before heading out.
- They sought _____ from a financial consultant before investing.
- It’s not my place to _____ her, but she might want to think about the consequences.
- The best _____ I got from the workshop was to be consistent.
- We will _____ the board on the potential risks involved.
- He would greatly appreciate it if you could advise him on this matter.
- Her advice was always to stay true to oneself.
- Would she be able to advise me on the best course of action?
- I’m not in a position to give professional advice, but personally, I’d suggest being careful.
- She didn’t take the advice and now regrets her decision.
- The weather seems strange; I’d advise checking the forecast before heading out.
- They sought advice from a financial consultant before investing.
- It’s not my place to advise her, but she might want to think about the consequences.
- The best advice I got from the workshop was to be consistent.
- We will advise the board on the potential risks involved.
FAQs
The word “to advise” written with an “s,” refers to a verb. Therefore, it represents an action in a sentence:
- The lawyer advised her client to stay in the background.
The word “advice” spelt with a “c,” refers to a noun, thus, representing the subject or object of a sentence:
- My therapist’s advice is to always follow your gut.
Here are some examples of using “advice” in a sentence:
- She seeks professional advice.
- He’s been given unsolicited advice about investing.
- We are always happy to give advice when asked for it.
The word “advice” is a noncountable noun, which means, there is no plural form. To emphasize the plural meaning of the word, phrases like “bits of” and “pieces of” can be placed before it.
