Confusing words: Practice vs. Practise, Advice vs. Advise

PRACTICE vs. PRACTISE 

These words are often confused. 

If the word ends in -se, then it is a verb. 

Remember: 
practice - noun 
practise - verb 

PRACTICE 

Practice refers to an action rather than thoughts or ideas. [Uncountable] 

Examples: 

• How are you going to put your knowledge into practice? 
• I can't wait to put what I've learned into practice. 
• She's determined to put her new ideas into practice. 

Practice is a thing that is done regularly, often as a habit, tradition or custom. [Uncountable or Countable] 

Examples: 

• common / standard practice 
• It is common practice in the States to tip the hairdresser. 
• In some countries it is common practice to leave a tip at a restaurant. 
• It is common practice in some universities to employ foreign English teachers. 
• It is standard practice not to pay until the end of the month. 
• It is his practice to read several books a week. (= habit) 

Practice is when you do something regularly or repeatedly so that you can improve your skill. [Uncountable or Countable] 

Examples: 

• conversation practice 
• You will be given a class book and a practice book before the course starts. 
• You need more practice at swimming underwater. 
• Students need more practice in using English. 
• There's a basketball practice every Friday evening. 
• It takes a lot of practice to play the violin well. 
• You'll gradually get better at playing the guitar - it's just a question of practice. 
• I need to get more practice before I take my driving test. 

Practice refers to a job or business of some professional people such as doctors, dentists and lawyers. These jobs require a lot of skills and training. [Uncountable or Countable] 

Examples: 

• a dental / medical / veterinary / legal practice 
• safe medical practices for children 
• She's decided to leave the National Health Service and join a private practice. 
• They have been studying Japanese business practices. 

Idiom 
Practice makes perfect - It is used to encourage someone to continue to do something many times, so that they will learn to do it very well. 


PRACTISE 

​Pay attention that you will most probably see this verb written this way: practice. This spelling is more common in American English. 

Practise means to do an activity or train regularly so that you can improve your skill. 

Examples: 

• practise for something - She's practising for her driving exam. 
• practise something - I've been practising speaking English for two months now. 
• I'm quite good at tennis but I need to practise my serve. 
• She practises English every day. 
• If you want your English to improve, you need to practise every day. 
• I need to practise my presentation before the meeting. 
• practise (something) on somebody / something - Some driving teachers use computers to simulate different road conditions for learners to practise on. 
• practise doing something [+ -ing verb] - His written Japanese is very good but he needs to practise speaking it. 

Practise also means to do something regularly, often as a habit, tradition, custom or set of rules. 

Examples: 

• The company denies that it has practised discrimination against any of its employees. 
• The technique is rarely practised in the West. 
• Do you still practise your religion? 

You need to practise if you have an important skilled job, such as a doctor, dentist or lawyer, for which a lot of training is necessary. 

Examples: 

• How long have you been practising as a dentist? 
• He practised as a lawyer for many years. 
• She practised medicine for 20 years. 

​ADVICE vs. ADVISE 

Remember: 
advice - noun 
advise - verb 

Advice is a noun. 
advice BrE /ədˈvaɪs/ ; NAmE /ədˈvaɪs/ ['s' sound at the end] 

Advice means an opinion or a suggestion about what someone should do. [Uncountable] 

Examples: 

• Let me give you some advice: stay away from her. 
• She gave him a lot of advice, but I don't think he listened. 
• advice on something - She gave me some advice on road safety. 
• Can you give me some advice on where to buy new jeans? 
• Ask your teacher's advice. / Ask your teacher for advice on how to prepare for the exam. 
• Follow your doctor's advice. 
• Take my advice - don't leave. 

Pay attention: 
If we want to use advice in a countable way, then we use the phrase a piece of advice. 

Example: 

• I have two pieces of advice for you about the holiday. 

Advise is a verb. 
advise BrE /ədˈvaɪz/ ; NAmE /ədˈvaɪz/ ['z' sound at the end] 

Advise means to tell someone what you think they should do - to give someone advice. 

Examples: 

• I strongly advise you not to do it. 
• [+ to infinitive] - I think I'd advise him to leave the company. (I'd = I would) 
• advise (someone) against something / against doing something - His doctor advised him against smoking. 
• I'd strongly advise against making a sudden decision. (= Don't make a sudden decision!) 
• She advised us when to come. 
• [+ -ing verb] - I'd advise waiting until tomorrow. (I'd = I would) 

Advise means to give someone information about something, especially on a subject you know a lot about. 

Examples: 

• Your lawyer can advise you whether to sign the contract. 
• I will contact you later to advise you when to come. 

Exercise 

Complete the sentences with practice, practise, advice or advise in the correct forms. 

1. You've got the necessary skills and now it's time to put them into ................ 
2. The more you ................, the better you will become. 
3. You will get ................ on grammar and vocabulary. 
4. You can improve your English conversation skills with our speaking ................ course. 
5. Whatever you do, keep ................ and good luck on your IELTS exam. 
6. The good news is that, with preparation and ................, you can overcome your nervousness and become better at speaking in public. 
7. When most people think of ................, they think of someone doing an activity over and over again. 
8. If you're willing to ................ hard, you can also achieve success.  
9. Go to your doctor and ask for ................ 
10. We were ................ to book early if we wanted to get a room. 
11. I think you need to seek legal ................ 
12. I'd ................ buying your tickets well in advance if you want to travel in August. 
13. The website gives free ................ on all aspects of saving energy. 
14. I'd ................ you not to sell your house. 
15. If you want my ................, I'd say it's better to tell him the truth. 
16. Many writers are ................ to write every day to improve their skill. 


Answers: 
1. practice; 2. practise; 3. practice; 4. practice; 5. practising; 6. practice; 7. practice; 8. practise;
9. advice; 10. advised; 11. advice; 12. advise; 13. advice; 14. advise; 15. advice; 16. advised;