Some English verbs have a noun twin that looks and sounds almost the same: affect and effect, advise and advice, devise and device. In each pair, one word is the action (the verb) and the other is the thing (the noun).
In English, some words are spelled and pronounced in a similar way. This poses problems for learners of English as a foreign language (EFL), who have a hard time telling which is which. In some of these pairs, one word is a noun and the other is a verb.
First, a reminder: a noun names a person, place, thing, or idea. A verb expresses an action or a state.
Affect vs. effect
Affect is a verb. It means "to make a difference to something". Effect is a noun. It is the change or result that an action or another cause brings about.
Here are some examples:
- Water pollution can affect marine life.
- Dying coral reefs are one effect of pollution on marine life.
There are rare exceptions: effect can also be a verb that means "to bring about", as in to effect change. In everyday writing, though, affect is almost always the verb and effect the noun.
Advise vs. advice
Advise is the verb and advice is the noun. To advise someone means to give them suggestions or recommendations. Advice is what you get when someone advises you.
Here are some examples:
- My dad gives the best advice.
- My dad advises me to study quantum physics.
- Can you advise me on this matter?
- I need your advice on this matter.
Devise vs. device
To devise means to plan or invent something. A device is a thing made for a particular purpose. You usually use the word for electronic or mechanical equipment.
Here are some examples:
- This device can locate ghosts within a 10 km radius.
- Marty devises a blueprint for a photonic ghost trap.
The -ise and -ice rule
When two similar words differ only in their ending, -ise or -ice, the one with -ise is usually the verb and the one with -ice the noun. British English follows this rule more often than American English. Both write advise and advice, and devise and device. But British English also has practise (the verb) and practice (the noun), while American English uses practice for both.
Those are just a few of the verbs and nouns in English that are easy to confuse because they look and sound alike. There are many more pairs of easily confused words.
If you still find them hard to tell apart, check your writing with the Spell Checker. It checks both the spelling and the grammar of your text, and it explains every mistake it marks.