IELTS: Difference Between Advice and Advise and Their Meanings

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Mrunmayai Bobade
Updated on Jun 21, 2023 01:45 PM IST

Have you been wondering what is the difference between advice and advise? Since both are nearly identical in spelling and writing (‘c’ and ‘s’ difference), they are often confused. Read the article to know more about advice vs advise, their meanings, how they are used in a sentence, and more!

IELTS: Difference Between Advice and Advise and Their Meanings

What is the difference between advice and advise? The words advice and advise often cause confusion in both spoken and written form because of their identical pronunciations and congruent meanings. In reality, providing counsel or advise falls under the same parameters and context as giving advice. However, the application of advise and advice is highly different in terms of grammar, therefore it becomes essential to understand the difference between them. To steer clear of the confusion between the two, remember this:

  • The word advice (with a ‘C’ and makes the sound of ‘s’) is always a noun.

  • The word advise (with an ‘S’ and makes the sound of ‘z’) is always a verb.

Therefore, you should keep in mind that the use of advise and advice is not all about meaning, but rather how the sentence is crafted linguistically. In essence, all you want to know is what role advice or advise plays in a given sentence.

Moreover, the primary difference between advice and advise is that “advise” (having an ‘S’) is a always verb and refers to recommending something or providing information. Conversely, the word "advice" (having a ‘C’) is always a noun: a type of recommendation or opinion intended to guide a person's actions. 

Here is the easiest example to help you remember the difference between the two: ‘I advise you to take my grammar advice’. To know more about advice and advise differences and other important factors such as how to use advice in a sentence and advise meaning, read on!

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Advice vs Advise: Everything You Need to Know

Words that have been misspelt usually enter our language. Consequently, it gets harder to discern between which are the correct ones and which are the wrong ones. Let us face it: speaking may be misleading, particularly when done in a language different from your mother tongue. Hence, the following is a fruitful discussion about everything you need to know about how to use advice in a sentence, its meaning, synonym as well as using advice in a sentence, and more.

Advice vs Advise: Definitions

Advise: It can be defined as an act of offering someone counselling or recommendation.

Advice: It can be defined as a suggestion made to you by someone regarding what to do or how to behave in a specific setting. Since it is an uncountable noun, we often employ the word "piece" to mean "a piece of advice".

Advice vs Advise: Differences

Advise: It is a verb: an opinion or suggestion made as a basis for behaviour, activity, etc. It corresponds to the word "realise" [z] when uttered.

Advice: It is a noun that means to give advice or make a worthwhile recommendation. It rhymes with the word "ice" [s] when pronounced.

Advice vs Advise: Synonyms

Advise: The synonyms that accurately state the meaning of advise include words such as recommend, urge, counsel, instruct, encourage, preach, direct, caution, and more.

Advice: The synonyms that accurately state advice meaning are tip, suggestion, consultation, encouragement, information, instruction, guidance, and so on. 

Advice vs Advise: Uses in Different Sentences

Advise

The following are examples of how the word advise in a sentence is used:

  • She advises using a certain skin-care product for her clientele.

  • Nobody is offering us advise on this.

  • Can you please advise me about what the weather is like at this point in the Himalayas?

  • She is prepared to resign now and will not advise the President during his second term.

  • He was advised by the doctor to stop smoking as soon as possible.

  • Will you give me some advise on this?

Advice

The following are examples of how the word advice in a sentence is used:

  • Can you offer the kids some advice on getting their driver's licence?

  • He just cannot get rid of his coughing since he disregarded the doctor's advice to stop smoking.

  • They have everything figured out on their own, therefore they do not need your advice on anything.

  • He offers some excellent bowling advice.

  • We require professional advice for our challenging tax problems.

  • Whose advice did you heed? Your companion's or your instructor's?

Related Reads:

Grammar for IELTS: Importance, Tips & Rules to Follow

IELTS Academic vs IELTS General: What’s the Difference?

Common Mistakes You Must Avoid While Preparing for the IELTS Exam

How to Prepare for IELTS Exam in One Month?

How to Remember the Difference Between Advice and Advise?

The best way to remember the advice and advise differences is to basically concentrate on the last three letters in the spellings i.e. focus on ‘ice’ for the word advice and on ‘ise’ for the word advise. Take a quick look at the following pointers that will help you segregate advice meaning as well as advise meaning to permanently fix their difference in mind:

  • Firstly, it needs to be pointed out that the suffix "-ise" is often used in English for normal verbs such as "surprise", "despise", "supervise",  "improvise", "demise", "televise", and "device."

  • Secondly, it needs to be pointed out that a lot of English words, including "mice", "dice", "novice", "accomplice", "hospice", "device", and "justice", end in the prefix "-ice".

  • Thirdly, as "-ise" often has connections with verbs, advise is a verb. Similarly, since "-ice" frequently correlates with nouns*, advice is a noun.

* there will always be some exceptions given a particular situation. For instance, the dice we use for playing board and casino games could be considered a noun. However, the word "dice" can additionally be employed as a verb to indicate "cut something into tiny pieces" or "accept a chance," as in the phrase "he diced with death".

Conclusion: Need Pro Advice or Advise?

In the end, let us give you some advice in the form of a pro tip: the articles 'a' and 'an' cannot be used with the word 'advice' (having a “C”). Uncountable and mass nouns do not require a definite article, so you cannot say an advice. Here is the result:

Correct: Can you offer me advice about how to study abroad?

Incorrect: Can you offer me an advice about how to study abroad?

So, advice vs advise: what do you need from our experts to help you apply to the top IELTS-accepting universities worldwide? Write to us at abroad@collegedekho.com. for admission-related queries!

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