Advice vs Advise: Noun vs Verb Explained

Advice is a noun — it's the recommendation itself: "She gave me good advice." Advise is a verb — it's the act of giving that recommendation: "She advised me to wait." You give or take advice; you advise someone.

The spelling difference matches a sound difference. Advice ends with a hissing s sound (ad-VYSS, like nice), while advise ends with a buzzing z sound (ad-VYZE, like prize). If you can hear the word in your head, you can usually spell it.

Quick answer: Advice (noun, rhymes with nice) = a recommendation: some advice, a piece of advice. Advise (verb, rhymes with prize) = to recommend: I advise you to check. Never write "advices" or "an advice" — advice is uncountable.

On this page

1. Noun vs verb
2. Pronunciation: listen for the hiss and the buzz
3. The noun/verb pattern in English
4. Where the words come from
5. Examples by situation
6. US vs UK vs Australia
7. Common errors
8. Memory tricks
9. Countable alternatives when you need a plural
10. Advise in professional settings
11. Advise meaning "inform"
12. A note on tone
13. Practice quiz
14. The quickest fix

Noun vs verb

Advice: the thing you get

Advice is an uncountable noun, like information, furniture and luggage. That has three practical consequences:

1. No plural: not "advices."
2. No "an": not "an advice."
3. Use quantity words: some advice, much advice, a lot of advice, a piece of advice, a bit of advice, a word of advice.

Typical verbs that go with advice:

• give / offer / provide advice
• take / follow / act on / heed advice
• ask for / seek advice
• ignore / reject advice

Adjectives you'll often see: good, sound, expert, legal, financial, medical, practical, unsolicited.

Advise: what someone does

Advise is a regular verb: advise, advises, advised, advising. Its main patterns are:

Related words include adviser/advisor (a person who advises), advisory (adjective or noun: a weather advisory), advisable (wise, recommended) and ill-advised (unwise).

Pronunciation: listen for the hiss and the buzz

This sound contrast is your best tool. Put your fingers on your throat: on advice, the end is silent; on advise, you'll feel a slight vibration. The spelling follows the sound, c for the hiss and s for the buzz.

The noun/verb pattern in English

Advice and advise aren't alone. English has a small family of pairs where a c marks the noun and an s marks the verb:

• device (noun) / devise (verb)
• advice (noun) / advise (verb)
• prophecy (noun) / prophesy (verb)
• licence (noun) / license (verb) — in British and Australian English
• practice (noun) / practise (verb) — in British and Australian English

The first three work the same in every variety of English. The last two are where regional spelling comes in: American English uses license and practice for both noun and verb, while British and Australian English keep the c/s split. If you want the full story, see practice vs practise and licence vs license.

The good news is that advice/advise is the same everywhere, so it's a reliable model. If you're writing British or Australian English and unsure about practice or licence, ask yourself: "Would advice or advise go here?" If advice fits (noun), use the c spelling; if advise fits (verb), use the s spelling.

Where the words come from

Both words reach English through Old French. Advice comes from Old French avis, "opinion" or "view," which goes back to a Latin phrase meaning roughly "it seems to me." Early English spellings were avis and avys; the "d" was added later, under the influence of Latin, which also happened to words like adventure.

The verb, advise, comes from Old French aviser, "to look at, consider." For a long time spellings of both words varied, and the modern pattern — advice for the noun, advise for the verb — settled down only as English spelling became standardized.

Examples by situation

At home

1. My dad's advice about cars is usually worth listening to.
2. The pharmacist advised me to take the tablets with food.
3. Can I give you a piece of advice? Don't buy a house in summer without seeing it in winter.
4. Mum advised against painting the kitchen bright orange.
5. Everyone in the family had advice for my sister before her move to Perth.
6. I'd advise bringing a jacket — evenings in Hobart get cold.

At work

7. "Please advise whether you'd like the meeting moved to Thursday."
8. Our accountant advised the company to delay the expansion.
9. Thanks for the advice on the presentation — it went really well.
10. Staff are advised to change their passwords every ninety days.
11. She advises start-ups in Austin on fundraising strategy.
12. We sought legal advice before signing the lease in Manchester.
13. I'd strongly advise against replying to that email tonight.

Academic and professional

14. The committee advised the government on climate adaptation policy.
15. Participants received standard dietary advice at the start of the trial.
16. Students are advised to consult the module handbook before submitting.
17. The report offers practical advice for reducing hospital readmissions.
18. Researchers advise caution when interpreting results from small samples.

News style

19. Health officials in Victoria advised residents to stay indoors during the dust storm.
20. The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for the region.
21. Police are advising motorists to avoid the A1 after a multi-vehicle crash.
22. The former treasurer now advises several major banks.
23. The National Weather Service issued an advisory for coastal areas of Florida.
24. Despite expert advice, the council voted to approve the development.

US vs UK vs Australia

Advice and advise are spelled and used the same way in American, British and Australian English. Unlike practice/practise or licence/license, there is no regional spelling split here.

Small differences show up in related words and usage:

• Adviser vs advisor: Both spellings are standard in all three countries. Adviser is the more traditional form and is preferred by many British and Australian newspapers and style guides, and by some major American outlets. Advisor is very common in American job titles (financial advisor, academic advisor). The adjective is always advisory.
• Government "travel advice": The UK government publishes "travel advice," the Australian government runs a travel advisory service (often called Smartraveller), and the US State Department issues "travel advisories." The words differ, but all are standard.
• "Please advise": This business phrase is used in all three countries. Some readers find it brisk or bureaucratic. In Australian and British offices especially, you may hear "let me know" or "could you advise…" as a softer version.

Common errors

❌ Can you advise me some advices about my CV? ✅ Can you give me some advice about my CV?

❌ My teacher adviced me to study harder. ✅ My teacher advised me to study harder.

❌ She gave me an advice I'll never forget. ✅ She gave me a piece of advice I'll never forget.

❌ Please advice on the next steps. ✅ Please advise on the next steps.

❌ I need your advise. ✅ I need your advice.

❌ Travellers are adviced to carry water. ✅ Travellers are advised to carry water.

Two patterns cause most trouble: "adviced" (which doesn't exist) and "an advice" or "advices," which are especially common among speakers of languages where the equivalent noun is countable, like French un conseil or Spanish un consejo. If English is your second language, it's worth practicing "a piece of advice" until it feels automatic.

Memory tricks

Ice is a thing; eyes do something. Advice contains ice — a thing, a noun. Advise sounds like "advi-eyes" — imagine the eyes of an adviser looking at you as they advise.

Nice advice, wise advise. Advice rhymes with nice ("nice advice"). Advise rhymes with wise ("be wise, advise"). Saying either phrase aloud tells you the spelling.

The device/devise twin. If you know device (a gadget) and devise (to invent), you know the pattern: c for the thing, s for the action.

Countable alternatives when you need a plural

Since you can't say "advices," what do you do when you want to talk about several separate pieces of guidance? English gives you several countable nouns that do the job:

Choosing one of these lets you number your points naturally: "five tips for your first interview" reads far better than "five advices" and is grammatically correct in every variety of English.

Advise in professional settings

In some fields, advise and adviser have specific, formal meanings.

• Legal: Lawyers advise clients, and a solicitor (UK, Australia) or attorney (US) gives legal advice. "Seek independent legal advice" is a standard phrase in contracts and offers.
• Financial: A financial adviser or financial advisor gives advice on investments, pensions (UK), superannuation (Australia) or retirement accounts (US). In several countries, giving personal financial advice is a regulated activity, which is why you'll see disclaimers such as "This is general information, not financial advice."
• Academic: In American universities, an academic advisor helps students choose courses. In the UK and Australia, a similar role might be called a personal tutor or course adviser.
• Government: A special adviser (often shortened to "spad" in British political slang) works for a minister. In the US, a president's senior staff include various advisors and counselors.

Across all of these, the pattern holds: the person advises, and what they provide is advice.

Advise meaning "inform"

In business English, advise has a second meaning that has little to do with recommendations: to tell or notify someone officially. You'll see it in logistics, banking, travel and customer service in all three countries.

• Please advise your expected arrival time. (tell us)
• We will advise you of any changes to the schedule. (notify you)
• The airline advised passengers of a two-hour delay.

The noun has a matching formal sense too. A remittance advice is a document telling a supplier that a payment has been made, and an advice note (a term used mainly in British and Australian business) is a notice sent with or ahead of goods. In these phrases, advice is still a noun and still spelled with a c, even though no one is being told what to do.

This "inform" sense is useful, but it can sound stiff in everyday emails. "Please let us know your arrival time" is friendlier than "Please advise your arrival time," and readers in Boston, Bristol and Brisbane will understand both.

Editing exercise

"Thank you for your advise last week. As you adviced, I contacted the supplier, who advised that the order will arrive Friday. Do you have any other advices on the contract?"

Answers: "your advise" → advice (a noun after your). "As you adviced" → advised (adviced is not a word). "who advised that" is correct; it's the "inform" sense of the verb. "any other advices" → any other advice (uncountable, so no plural). Three errors in four sentences is common in real emails, which is why the hiss-or-buzz test is worth running on each instance.

A note on tone

"Advise" can sound formal or even stiff in casual writing. Compare:

• I advise you to call the bank. (formal, a bit distant)
• I'd recommend calling the bank. (neutral, polite)
• You might want to call the bank. (friendly)

Similarly, "Please be advised that…" is common in notices but can feel cold in personal emails. For warmer, clearer alternatives, "Just so you know…" or "I wanted to let you know…" usually work better. If you're writing professional email and want options, see other ways to say "please let me know".

The same noun-vs-verb thinking applies to breath vs breathe, where a single letter also changes both the part of speech and the sound.

Practice quiz

Choose advice, advise, advises or advised.

1. The doctor __ him to rest for a week.
2. If you want my __, sell the car now.
3. I would __ against booking the cheapest flight.
4. She __ several charities on fundraising.
5. Thanks for the great __ about interviewing.
6. Passengers are __ that the 6:15 service to Brighton is cancelled.

Answers

1. advised — past tense of the verb.
2. advice — noun after "my."
3. advise — verb after "would."
4. advises — present-tense verb with "she."
5. advice — noun after "great."
6. advised — passive verb, "are advised."

The quickest fix

When in doubt, say the sentence aloud. If the word rhymes with nice, you're naming something and you want advice; if it rhymes with prize, someone is doing something and you want advise. And remember there's no such thing as "an advice" — reach for "a piece of advice" instead, and you'll sound fluent in any of the three countries.