Answers
Correct Forms at a Glance
One letter changes the grammar and the sound: advise is the action, advice is the thing. ✅Source
Advice and advise get mixed up because they look almost the same, but they play different roles in a sentence. Advice is a noun (something you can take or give). Advise is a verb (something you do).
Core Difference: What Each Word Does
Advice is the information or recommendation itself. Advise is the act of giving that recommendation. If the sentence needs a thing, it wants advice. If it needs an action, it wants advise.
Advice is what you get. Advise is what you do.
Same Topic, Different Job
- advice = noun
- advise = verb
- receive vs recommend
- take vs tell
Because advice is a noun, it can be the subject or object of a sentence. Because advise is a verb, it needs a subject that performs the action.
| Word | Part Of Speech | Meaning | Typical Neighbors | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| advice | Noun | Guidance or a recommendation | some good take give | She gave me advice on the schedule. |
| advise | Verb | To recommend, guide, or inform | advise someone to against | I advise you to double-check the time. |
Advice behaves like a mass noun in standard English: it typically does not take a/an, and it typically does not form a normal plural for everyday use. When writers want a “countable” unit, they often use a piece of with advice. ✅Source
Pronunciation: The Sound Change You Can Hear
The spelling difference is small, but the final sound is the big giveaway. advice ends with an /s/ sound, while advise ends with an /z/ sound. That one sound switch lines up with the noun vs verb difference.
How “Advice” Sounds
Advice is commonly shown as /ədˈvaɪs/. The ending is the same kind of /s/ you hear in words like “ice.” ✅Source
A simple visual cue matches the sound cue: advice looks like it “locks in” as a noun, while advise stays “active” as a verb. It’s not a grammar rule, just a memory hook that many people find handy.
How “Advise” Sounds
Advise is commonly shown as /ədˈvaɪz/. The ending is a voiced /z/ sound, like the end of “prize.” ✅Source
Grammar Patterns and Sentence Roles
Advice often appears after verbs like give, get, take, and follow. Advise often appears with a person (or group) and then a structure that shows what’s being recommended.
- Advice Common Structures
- advice on/about something
- some advice
- a piece of advice
- take/follow advice
- Advise Common Structures
- advise someone to do something
- advise doing something
- advise against something
- advise someone of something
Advise can mean “recommend” and it can also mean “inform” in more formal contexts. That is why phrases like advise someone of a change show up in notices and policy-style writing. Verb behavior stays the same even when the tone changes. ✅Source
If the sentence needs an object (a person being guided), advise fits naturally: “They advise customers to…” If the sentence is naming the guidance itself, advice fits naturally: “Their advice was…”
Common Phrases and Collocations
Advice commonly lives in “noun slots” where English expects a thing: a word of advice, some advice, expert advice. In dictionary terms, advice is a recommendation about what to do or how to behave. ✅Source
Common With “Advice”
- take advice
- follow advice
- give advice
- ask for advice
- advice on / about something
Common With “Advise”
- advise someone to do something
- advise doing something
- advise against something
- advise someone of something
- advise someone on something
In everyday writing, these pairings do a lot of the work. If you see take, follow, or some, the sentence is almost always pointing to advice. If you see to + verb or against, the sentence is almost always pointing to advise.
Common Mistakes That Trigger Typos
Most mix-ups happen when a writer grabs the right idea but the wrong word class. The sentence feels correct, but the grammar is off. These are the patterns that show up again and again with advice and advise.
Mistake 1: Using “Advice” as a Verb
Mistake 2: Using “Advise” as a Noun
A classic trap is trying to pluralize advice like a normal count noun. In standard English, advice is treated as uncountable, so writers prefer some advice or a piece of advice instead of forms like “advices.” ✅Source
Another subtle one is the spelling near the end: advice and advise differ by one letter, so fast typing can flip them. When the sentence already contains verbs like “should” or “recommend,” it’s still the grammar slot that matters: advise for the verb, advice for the noun.
Word Family: Adviser, Advisor, and Advisory
The word family helps reinforce the roles. From advise (the verb) you get adviser or advisor (a person who gives guidance), plus advisory (an adjective used for notices, panels, or roles). These forms sit naturally around the verb idea of “giving guidance.” ✅Source
What Each Related Form Usually Means
- adviser / advisor: a person who gives advice
- advisory: providing guidance or recommendations
- advised / advising: past and ongoing forms of the verb advise
If you ever see adviser or advisory nearby, the sentence is usually in the “verb family” zone, which makes advise the likely choice for the action. If you see a word of or some, the sentence is usually in the “noun” zone, which makes advice the likely choice.
Mini Check: Choose The Right Word
Each sentence needs either the noun advice or the verb advise. The blank tells you what role the word must play.
- I’d like your ______ on the agenda. noun slot
- They ______ reviewing the document before signing. verb slot
- Her ______ was calm and practical. noun slot
- We ______ everyone to arrive early. verb slot
- He asked for ______ about budgeting. noun slot
- I wouldn’t ______ ignoring the email. verb slot
Answers
Correct Forms at a Glance
One letter changes the grammar and the sound: advise is the action, advice is the thing. ✅Source
Advice and advise get mixed up because they look almost the same, but they play different roles in a sentence. Advice is a noun (something you can take or give). Advise is a verb (something you do).
Core Difference: What Each Word Does
Advice is the information or recommendation itself. Advise is the act of giving that recommendation. If the sentence needs a thing, it wants advice. If it needs an action, it wants advise.
Advice is what you get. Advise is what you do.
Same Topic, Different Job
- advice = noun
- advise = verb
- receive vs recommend
- take vs tell
Because advice is a noun, it can be the subject or object of a sentence. Because advise is a verb, it needs a subject that performs the action.
| Word | Part Of Speech | Meaning | Typical Neighbors | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| advice | Noun | Guidance or a recommendation | some good take give | She gave me advice on the schedule. |
| advise | Verb | To recommend, guide, or inform | advise someone to against | I advise you to double-check the time. |
Advice behaves like a mass noun in standard English: it typically does not take a/an, and it typically does not form a normal plural for everyday use. When writers want a “countable” unit, they often use a piece of with advice. ✅Source
Pronunciation: The Sound Change You Can Hear
The spelling difference is small, but the final sound is the big giveaway. advice ends with an /s/ sound, while advise ends with an /z/ sound. That one sound switch lines up with the noun vs verb difference.
How “Advice” Sounds
Advice is commonly shown as /ədˈvaɪs/. The ending is the same kind of /s/ you hear in words like “ice.” ✅Source
A simple visual cue matches the sound cue: advice looks like it “locks in” as a noun, while advise stays “active” as a verb. It’s not a grammar rule, just a memory hook that many people find handy.
How “Advise” Sounds
Advise is commonly shown as /ədˈvaɪz/. The ending is a voiced /z/ sound, like the end of “prize.” ✅Source
Grammar Patterns and Sentence Roles
Advice often appears after verbs like give, get, take, and follow. Advise often appears with a person (or group) and then a structure that shows what’s being recommended.
- Advice Common Structures
- advice on/about something
- some advice
- a piece of advice
- take/follow advice
- Advise Common Structures
- advise someone to do something
- advise doing something
- advise against something
- advise someone of something
Advise can mean “recommend” and it can also mean “inform” in more formal contexts. That is why phrases like advise someone of a change show up in notices and policy-style writing. Verb behavior stays the same even when the tone changes. ✅Source
If the sentence needs an object (a person being guided), advise fits naturally: “They advise customers to…” If the sentence is naming the guidance itself, advice fits naturally: “Their advice was…”
Common Phrases and Collocations
Advice commonly lives in “noun slots” where English expects a thing: a word of advice, some advice, expert advice. In dictionary terms, advice is a recommendation about what to do or how to behave. ✅Source
Common With “Advice”
- take advice
- follow advice
- give advice
- ask for advice
- advice on / about something
Common With “Advise”
- advise someone to do something
- advise doing something
- advise against something
- advise someone of something
- advise someone on something
In everyday writing, these pairings do a lot of the work. If you see take, follow, or some, the sentence is almost always pointing to advice. If you see to + verb or against, the sentence is almost always pointing to advise.
Common Mistakes That Trigger Typos
Most mix-ups happen when a writer grabs the right idea but the wrong word class. The sentence feels correct, but the grammar is off. These are the patterns that show up again and again with advice and advise.
Mistake 1: Using “Advice” as a Verb
Mistake 2: Using “Advise” as a Noun
A classic trap is trying to pluralize advice like a normal count noun. In standard English, advice is treated as uncountable, so writers prefer some advice or a piece of advice instead of forms like “advices.” ✅Source
Another subtle one is the spelling near the end: advice and advise differ by one letter, so fast typing can flip them. When the sentence already contains verbs like “should” or “recommend,” it’s still the grammar slot that matters: advise for the verb, advice for the noun.
Word Family: Adviser, Advisor, and Advisory
The word family helps reinforce the roles. From advise (the verb) you get adviser or advisor (a person who gives guidance), plus advisory (an adjective used for notices, panels, or roles). These forms sit naturally around the verb idea of “giving guidance.” ✅Source
What Each Related Form Usually Means
- adviser / advisor: a person who gives advice
- advisory: providing guidance or recommendations
- advised / advising: past and ongoing forms of the verb advise
If you ever see adviser or advisory nearby, the sentence is usually in the “verb family” zone, which makes advise the likely choice for the action. If you see a word of or some, the sentence is usually in the “noun” zone, which makes advice the likely choice.
Mini Check: Choose The Right Word
Each sentence needs either the noun advice or the verb advise. The blank tells you what role the word must play.
- I’d like your ______ on the agenda. noun slot
- They ______ reviewing the document before signing. verb slot
- Her ______ was calm and practical. noun slot
- We ______ everyone to arrive early. verb slot
- He asked for ______ about budgeting. noun slot
- I wouldn’t ______ ignoring the email. verb slot