Leant › Practice or practise, licence or license
Practice or practise, licence or license
British English separates noun from verb with a c or an s. Once you know the trick, a whole family of words falls into place.
The rule
In British English, for several pairs of words, the noun is spelt with a c and the verb with an s:
| Noun (c) | Verb (s) |
|---|---|
| practice | practise |
| licence | license |
| advice | advise |
| device | devise |
| prophecy | prophesy |
The advice/advise test
Advice and advise sound different, so everyone knows which is which: "give advice" (noun), "I advise you" (verb). Replace practice/practise or licence/license with advice/advise in your head. If "advice" fits, use the c spelling. If "advise" fits, use the s spelling.
Practice and practise
- "Piano practice is at five." (noun)
- "She runs a medical practice." (noun)
- "I practise the piano every day." (verb)
- "He is a practised speaker." (adjective from the verb)
- "They are practising a new routine." (verb)
Licence and license
- "You need a driving licence." (noun)
- "The shop has a licence to sell alcohol." (noun)
- "The council will license the venue." (verb)
- "A licensed premises." (adjective from the verb)
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries notes that the s spelling of the verb license arose by analogy with practice and practise, which is why the two pairs behave alike.
What about American English?
American English generally uses practice for both noun and verb, and license for both noun and verb. So an American writer will say "I practice the piano" and "a driver's license". If you are writing for a British audience, keep the split. If you write for a global audience, check the style you are following.
Other words in the same family
Defence and defense. In British English, defence is the noun and defensive is the adjective. Americans use defense. There is no separate verb ("to defend").
Offence and offense. The same. British: offence; American: offense.
Pretence and pretense. British: pretence; American: pretense.
These nouns end in -ce in British English and -se in American English, but they do not have a matching verb ending in -se. Compare them in the UK vs US table.
Also: advice and advise
The same c and s split applies to advice (noun) and advise (verb). A reader who gets these two right will find the others easy, because advice and advise are also pronounced differently.
Common mistakes
- "I need to practice my speech" in a British text. It should be practise.
- "I have a driving license." In British English it should be licence.
- Using -ise on a noun, like "a good practise".
Practice in everyday phrases
- "Put it into practice" (noun).
- "Practice makes perfect" (noun).
- "Practise what you preach" (verb).
- "In practice, it works" (noun).
- "A GP practice" and "a law practice" (noun).
Licensed premises, a licensed electrician and a licensed driver all use the s spelling because licensed is made from the verb. The paper itself, such as a TV licence or a fishing licence, takes the c.
One-line memory
C for the thing, S for the doing. If you are doing it, it is an s. If you are naming it, it is a c. For other British habits, see -ise or -ize and the -t past tense words.