advise

American  

[ad-vahyz] / ædˈvaɪz /

verb (used with object)

advised, advising

1. to give counsel to; offer an opinion or suggestion as worth following.

   I advise you to be cautious.

   Synonyms:

   caution, admonish, counsel

2. to recommend as desirable, wise, prudent, etc..

   He advised secrecy for the sake of national security.

   Synonyms:

   suggest

3. to give (a person, group, etc.) information or notice (often followed byof ).

   The investors were advised of the risk. They advised him that this was their final notice.

   Synonyms:

   acquaint, apprise, notify, inform

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verb (used without object)

advised, advising

1. to take counsel; consult (usually followed bywith ).

   I shall advise with my friends.

   Synonyms:

   consult, deliberate, confer

2. to offer counsel; give advice or recommend particular actions, conduct, etc..

   I shall act as you advise.

advise British  

/ ədˈvaɪz /

verb

1. to offer advice (to a person or persons); counsel

   he advised the king

   to advise caution

   he advised her to leave

2. formal to inform or notify

3. obsolete to consult or discuss

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Usage

What's the difference between advise and advice? Advise is a verb that means to give advice—guidance about what someone should do. Despite their very similar spelling, advice and advise are pronounced differently. Advise rhymes with prize, while advice rhymes with ice. Because the two words are so closely related, they are often used in the same contexts, so the challenge is simply to remember which spelling to use for the noun and which spelling to use for the verb. Our advice? Remember that, unlike advise, advice never gets an s, even at the end (advice is a mass noun, so it’s never pluralized as advices). Here’s an example of advise and advice used correctly in a sentence. Example: I advise you to get some professional financial advice before you start a business. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between advise and advice.

Other Word Forms

• preadvise
  verb (used with object)
• readvise
  verb

Etymology

Origin of advise

First recorded in 1275–1325; late Middle English; replacing Middle English avisen, from Anglo-French, Old French aviser, verbal derivative of avis “opinion” (from a vis; see advice)

Explanation

To advise someone is to give them advice, or counsel. If you live in Iceland and a friend visiting you from Hawaii asks what he should pack, advise him to bring warm clothes and snow boots. Advise comes from a Latin word for vision. We want people to advise us if we think they can see the whole picture better than we can. For this reason, we often seek the advice of trained people. Financial advisors advise their clients on which funds to invest in. Legal advisors advise their clients on the law. To advise can also be to give notice. You should advise your boss of your decision to quit at least two weeks in advance.

Example Sentences

I’d advise you to study the primer by my colleagues Doug Smith and Andrew Khouri on what you can and can’t do about homelessness as a mayor in L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026

"The production should have had specialists in domestic abuse and sexual violence on hand to advise," she said.

From BBC • May 19, 2026

Investors should take note of mounting tail risks — the probability of an extreme market event — and buy some insurance against a major correction, advise Deutsche Bank strategists.

From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who had asked the jury to advise her on the matter, accepted and confirmed their decision.

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

It advised all qualified instructors—it as much as said, in fact, that it couldn’t advise them fortement enough—to apply immediately for employment at the newest, most progressive, correspondence art school in Canada.

From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger

Related Words

• admonish
• caution
• charge
• commend
• direct
• encourage
• instruct
• point out
• prepare
• recommend
• suggest
• urge
• warn