Advice vs Advise

The words advice and advise are often confused in English. I advise you to read through this lesson so you will no longer need advice on this matter.

Advice

Advice is a noun and refers to information offered by one person to another to help the latter make a decision or take action.

We need some advice.

I don’t care if you’re my advisor. When I want your advice, I’ll ask for it!

My stock broker gave me bad advice and I lost a lot of money.

If you’re sick, stay home. That’s my advice.

Synonyms: counsel, input, opinion, recommendation, suggestion, two cents

 
Advise

Advise is a verb and means to offer a suggestion about what to do.

We need you to advise us about something.

You’re my advisor, so advise me!

My stock broker advised me to invest in that company two days before it filed for bankruptcy.

If you’re sick, I advise you to stay home.

Synonyms: to give advice, to counsel, to offer input, to offer an opinion, to recommend, to make a recommendation, to suggest, to make a suggestion, to offer one’s two cents

 
The Bottom Line

The words advice and advise are pronounced differently: the final sound in advice is unvoiced, while in advise it’s voiced. Therefore, for most people, the difficulty with this word pair is limited to spelling, not speaking. To advise means to give advice. Therefore, I’d advise you to say the word out loud before you write it in order to figure out which word you need. Take my advice, and you’ll never have trouble again.

 
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