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, 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; 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

Note: The fair’s organizers advise you to not put the address in your GPS.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

More than 300 schools attended an EA webinar on Tuesday to advise them on what steps to take, but the EA said that there was no evidence that teachers' or students' data had been compromised.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

I would advise against thinking about indexed universal life insurance as a “stock alternative.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology will advise on AI policy and emerging tech issues.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

“I wouldn’t advise it. Not yet,” said Loki, but Thrym had already leaned over and was making kissing noises.

From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman

Related Words

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