Practise, or practice, is one of the most regularly misused words, and largely so because some “ce” and “se” words reflect a difference between British and American spelling. For example:
British: defence, offence, pretence,
American: defense, offense, pretense
Making a distinction between the noun and the verb, practice and practice, is attached to British usage.
- Practise (verb) – The lawyer plans to practise law in London.
- Practice (noun) – The lawyer hopes to build up a good practice.
In American usage, both the noun and verb forms are spelt the same:
- The lawyer practiced medicine in New York.
- The lawyer has a medical practice New York.
Things don’t always work this way though, and in the case of advise and advice, both British and American usage agree on the following:
- advise (verb) – He advised the students to take science.
- advice (noun) She was glad that he had followed her advice.
The key is in knowing what audience you are writing for. Generally American usage favours the ‘C’ demonstrated in the first example. But then there is the odd anomaly like “advise” and “advice.” However, in the case of practise/practice, always remember that American English favors the “C” in all circumstances, whereas British English uses “S” for the verb and “C” for the noun.
