What does advice mean?
Advice is an uncountable noun referring to guidance or a recommendation offered to help someone decide what to do. It is one of the most common words in everyday English, appearing in contexts ranging from casual conversation ('Let me give you a piece of advice') to professional settings such as law, medicine, and finance, where terms like 'legal advice' carry specific weight. Because it is uncountable, it never takes a plural form; speakers instead say 'some advice', 'a piece of advice', or simply use it in phrases like 'take my advice'. The word pairs naturally with verbs such as give, offer, seek, follow, and ignore, reflecting its role in human exchange. Its tone is usually warm and constructive, though unwanted advice can feel meddlesome. Advice derives ultimately from Latin roots relating to seeing and judging, entering English through Old French, and it remains inseparable from its verb counterpart, advise.
nounGuidance or a recommendation offered to someone about what they should do in a particular situation. It is an uncountable noun and cannot take a plural form.
- Guidance or recommendations about what someone should do in a given situation.
- (Formal/commercial, rare) An official notice or report, as in shipping or business dispatches.
"She took her mentor's advice and applied for the scholarship."
"My doctor's advice was to cut back on caffeine and get more sleep."
"The committee sought legal advice before drafting the new policy."
Despite ending in -ice like 'mice' or 'rice', advice is never plural — there's no such thing as 'two advices', only more advice.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of advice
Advice entered English in the late Middle Ages (around the 14th century) from Old French 'avis', meaning opinion or judgment, which itself derives from the Latin phrase that one should 'seem' or 'appear' — rooted in 'videre', to see. This makes advice a distant cousin of words like view, vision, and survey, all stemming from the same Latin verb of seeing. The related verb 'advise' was formed directly from the noun, and the two have remained closely paired ever since.
How advice is actually used
Advice is always uncountable in ordinary usage; to refer to a single item of guidance, use the phrase 'a piece of advice' rather than attempting a plural. It carries a generally helpful, supportive connotation, though unsolicited advice can be perceived as intrusive or presumptuous.
Easily confused with advice
Advise is a verb meaning to give guidance, while advice is the noun form of that guidance — you advise someone by giving them advice.
Advices is a rare commercial term for reports or dispatches on business matters, not a standard plural of advice.