Advice vs advise – what is the difference?

Advice vs advise – what is the difference?

                What makes ‘advice’ and ‘advise’ often confused? They are just one letter apart. But this simple spelling error can mean a lot when we use them in writing. Aside from the fact that they spell differently, they have different functions – one acts as a noun and the other as a verb. Up to now, many students still confuse the correct usage of the two, which can cause confusion when reading articles or research works. In this paper, we are going to discuss the difference and right way of using ‘advice’ and ‘advise’ in a sentence.

Understanding ‘advice’

                Advice is a noun and it has two meanings. The first one is “recommendations or guidance offered to or given by someone about the best decision to make in a specific situation.” The second definition pertains to its business and/or legal use: “A record of a formal financial transaction or agreement.”

                Some examples how to use ‘advice’ in a sentence: “The speaker gave us a good advice on how to treat older people with love and respect.” Here, advice functions as a guidance given by someone. “The financial documents along with bank advices were issued last January 23.” In this second example, ‘advice’ acts as a formal financial transaction.

Understanding ‘advise’

                The word ‘advise’ is a verb and it has three acceptable meanings. First is “to tell a person what you think is appropriate in a certain situation.” Second is “to provide a person with information and guidance in a particular matter. Finally, “to inform a person about a situation or fact in an official and formal way.”

                Let us now use ‘advise’ in a sentence: “You should advise your daughter to go home early and get some good sleep.” “The World Health Organization’s epidemiology department will be advising on outbreak investigation and control on June 13.” “We are glad to advise you that your application has been accepted and you are expected to report tomorrow for the final interview.”

Avoiding confusion

                Most of the confusion between ‘advice’ and ‘advise’ lies on the spelling and pronunciation. The ‘c’ vs ‘s’ is particularly confusing so we have to know how to pronounce them correctly. The ‘c’ in ‘advice’ is pronounced more with an ‘s’ sound as “ice.” On the other hand, the ‘s’ in ‘advise’ should be stressed with a ‘z’ sound as in ‘ize.’ Thus, ‘advice’ or ‘ad-vise’ is the verb, while ‘advise’ or ’ad-vize’ is the noun.

Some other helpful examples:

                “You have never given me a good advice whenever I talk about my problems.” (Noun)
                “The teacher advised us to bring our own laptops for the technical exam.” (Verb)
                “His father always advise that she stay home during weekends.” (Verb)
                “My uncle’s advice was never appreciated.” (Noun)