Eleanor Meecham | August 4, 2015
‘Practice’ and ‘practise’ look so very similar, but they mean different things. Annoyingly, they’re pronounced exactly the same way, which makes it hard to remember which word to use for what.
Another reason for confusion is that the UK spelling of these words (which we use here in New Zealand) is different from the American spelling. If you’re using American spelling, the only word you need is ‘practice’. No need to read any further.
‘Practice’ is a noun (a word that names a thing) and ‘practise’ is a verb (a word that names an action). For example:
I go to soccer practice. (This is an event I go to)
I practise soccer. (This is what I do there)
The doctor works at her private practice. (This is the place she works)
She practises medicine. (This is what she does there)
Eating veges before pudding is a common practice. (This is a custom)
My kids hate eating veges but I make them practise. (This is what I make them do)
Other pairs of nouns and verbs have the same spelling pattern and different pronunciation. This makes it much easier to remember which to use when. For example:
Advice (noun) / Advise (verb) — hear the difference? 😊
=
Practice (noun) / Practise (verb) — sound the same 🤔
Choose a simple sentence that uses ‘practice’ or ‘practise’, and replace that word with ‘advice’ or ‘advise’. You’ll hear if it’s correct or not. If it’s correct, you have your spelling!
I need daily writing practice to improve
I need daily writing advice to improve — correct
I need daily writing advise to improve — wrong
Editors practise caution when crafting sentences
Editors advice caution when crafting sentences — wrong
Editors advise caution when crafting sentences — correct
(Last updated: April 2026)