What does advise mean?
Advise is a verb meaning to give someone a recommendation or guidance about what they should do, typically drawing on knowledge, experience, or professional judgment. A doctor may advise rest, a lawyer may advise caution, and a friend may advise patience — in each case the speaker offers counsel rather than commands. The word also carries a second, more formal sense: to notify or inform someone officially, as when passengers are advised of a schedule change. Advise sits in a register slightly more formal than everyday words like suggest, which makes it a staple of legal, medical, financial, and business language. It should not be confused with its noun form, advice, which refers to the guidance itself rather than the act of giving it. Derived forms such as adviser (or advisor), advisory, and advisable extend the word across professional and everyday English, making it one of the most versatile verbs for talking about judgment and guidance.
To offer counsel or a recommendation to someone about what they should do.
"I would advise you to arrive at least an hour early."
Often followed by a direct object and infinitive ('advise someone to do something'), by 'against' plus a noun or gerund ('advise against traveling'), or by a that-clause ('she advised that he wait').
To formally notify or inform someone of a fact or development.
"Customers will be advised of any changes to their booking by email."
This sense is chiefly formal and appears frequently in official notices and business correspondence.
The 's' in advise is pronounced like a 'z' — swap it for an 's' sound and you've accidentally said its noun cousin, advice.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of advise
Advise comes from the Old French 'aviser,' meaning to consider or deliberate, which itself derives from the Latin 'advisare' — formed from 'ad-' (toward) and 'visum,' the past participle of 'videre,' meaning to see. The underlying idea is thus literally 'to look at' a matter before acting on it. The word entered Middle English around the late 13th or early 14th century, initially carrying senses of deliberation and consideration before settling into its modern meaning of giving counsel. Its noun counterpart, advice, came from the same French source, and related forms such as advisory and supervisor trace back to the same Latin root of seeing.
Related word forms
How advise is actually used
Advise is somewhat more formal than suggest or recommend, and is common in professional, legal, and medical contexts. In business correspondence, 'please advise' has become a stock phrase, sometimes criticized as vague or officious. In British English, advise can also appear in formal notices meaning simply 'to inform.'
Easily confused with advise
Advise is the verb (to give counsel), while advice is the noun (the counsel itself) — note the differing final sounds: /z/ versus /s/.