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Understanding the difference between commonly confused words will help you avoid making errors in English usage. Let’s examine the difference between the following:
advise
Advise is a verb meaning to offer suggestions or counsel to someone, or to inform someone formally of a fact or situation. Advise is pronounced to rhyme with wise, with a z sound.
advice
Advice, a noun, is the guidance or recommendation given to someone. Advice is pronounced to rhyme with twice, with a c sound.
This sentence uses both advise and advice:
Natasha’s doctor advised her to quit smoking, but she was addicted to cigarettes and found it very difficult to follow his advice.
☛ Here’s a memory trick to help tell these words apart that is connected to how they’re pronounced:
Remember that you should consult wise people to advise you, and that people usually only follow advice when they’re told at least twice!
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