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Practice or Practise? Noun vs Verb + 30 Exercises

In American English, practice is both the noun and the verb: I practice every day; band practice starts at six. In British, Australian, New Zealand and Irish English, practice is the noun and practise is the verb: I practise every day at band practice.

Written by Raheel AshrafAbout 11 min read

Free practice: Free English grammar exercises online (with answers)

In American English, practice is both the noun and the verb: I practice every day; band practice starts at six. In British, Australian, New Zealand and Irish English, practice is the noun and practise is the verb: I practise every day at band practice. The two spellings are pronounced the same.

The British split follows the same pattern as advice (noun) and advise (verb), and licence (noun) and license (verb). The 30 questions below test the US rule, then the UK noun/verb split, then the sentences where both words appear together. Every question names the variety of English, so exactly one answer is correct.

Practice or Practise Quiz: 30 Questions

Warm-up · US English: one spelling

1.(US English) I need to ___ my presentation before Friday.
2.(US English) She runs a busy dental ___.
3.(US English) He ___ the piano every evening as a child.
4.(US English) She is a ___ lawyer in Chicago.
5.(US English) Soccer ___ starts at four o'clock.
6.(US English) We ___ the routine until midnight.
7.(US English) She is a ___ speaker who never needs notes.
8.(US English) Which spelling does American English use for the verb?

Core · UK, Australian and NZ English: noun c, verb s

9.(UK English) You should ___ for at least twenty minutes a day.
10.(UK English) The doctor's ___ is closed on Sundays.
11.(UK English) She ___ law for twenty years before retiring.
12.(Australian English) He is ___ for his driving test.
13.(UK English) Netball ___ is on Thursday after school.
14.(UK English) The idea works in theory but not in ___.
15.(UK English) We need to put the plan into ___.
16.(New Zealand English) Is she still ___ medicine?
17.(UK English) This is only a ___ test, so don't worry about the score.
18.(UK English) He is a ___ liar, so check everything he says.
19.(UK English) Sharing documents through one system is good ___.
20.(UK English) Which pair follows the same noun/verb pattern as practice and practise?
21.(UK English) You need a valid driving ___ to hire a car.
22.(US English) Please show your driver's ___ at the counter.

Challenge · both words in one sentence

23.(UK English) Which sentence is correct?
24.(US English) Which sentence is correct?
25.How are practice and practise pronounced in British English?
26.(UK English) Choir ___ starts at seven, so ___ your part beforehand.
27.(UK English) She runs a veterinary ___ and still ___ two days a week.
28.(UK English) Working ___ have changed since the merger.
29.A British writer is editing a draft for an American client. What should happen to the word practise?
30.(UK English) Quick test: spell it practise when the word works like ___ in the sentence.
Answer key and explanationsOpen after you finish the quiz.
  1. 1. practiceAmerican English uses practice for the verb as well as the noun. Practise is the British spelling of the verb.
  2. 2. practiceA dental practice is a business, so this is the noun. The noun is practice in every variety of English.
  3. 3. practicedIn American English the past tense keeps the c: practiced. British English writes practised.
  4. 4. practicingThe -ing form in American English is practicing, with a c. Practising is the British spelling.
  5. 5. practiceSoccer practice is a noun (a training session). The noun is practice in American and British English alike.
  6. 6. practicedPast-tense verb in American English: practiced. The c stays in every American form: practice, practiced, practicing.
  7. 7. practicedPracticed as an adjective means experienced or skilled. American English spells it practiced; British English writes practised.
  8. 8. practice onlyAmerican English uses practice for the noun and every form of the verb: practice, practices, practiced, practicing. Formality and tense make no difference.
  9. 9. practiseAfter should you need a verb. In British English the verb is spelled practise, with an s.
  10. 10. practiceA doctor's practice is a noun (the surgery or business), so British English uses practice with a c.
  11. 11. practisedPractise law is a verb phrase, so British English writes the past tense practised. Practiced is the American spelling.
  12. 12. practisingAustralian English follows the British pattern: the verb is practise, so the -ing form is practising.
  13. 13. practiceNetball practice is a training session, a noun. British English spells the noun practice, with a c.
  14. 14. practiceIn practice is a fixed noun phrase meaning in reality. In British English the noun is always practice.
  15. 15. practicePut into practice uses the noun after into, so British English writes practice with a c.
  16. 16. practisingNew Zealand English follows the British pattern: the verb is practise, so the -ing form is practising.
  17. 17. practiceIn a practice test, practice is a noun used before another noun, like a practice match or practice session. British English keeps the c.
  18. 18. practisedThe adjective meaning skilled or experienced comes from the verb, so British English writes practised. American English writes practiced.
  19. 19. practiceGood practice is a noun phrase meaning the right way of doing something, so British English uses practice. Practices does not fit after is good.
  20. 20. advice / adviseAdvice is the noun and advise is the verb, just as British English has practice (noun) and practise (verb). The other pairs are US/UK spelling differences, not noun/verb pairs.
  21. 21. licenceBritish English uses licence for the noun and license for the verb, the same c/s split as practice and practise.
  22. 22. licenseAmerican English uses license for both the noun and the verb, just as it uses practice for both.
  23. 23. I practise every day before football practice.British English: the verb is practise and the noun is practice. The last option is correct in American English but not in British English.
  24. 24. I practice every day before football practice.American English uses practice for the verb and the noun. The first option is the British spelling, not the American one.
  25. 25. The sameUnlike advice and advise, practice and practise sound identical. That is why the difference is only visible in writing.
  26. 26. practice … practiseChoir practice is a noun (the rehearsal), so it takes c. Practise your part is an instruction using the verb, so it takes s.
  27. 27. practice … practisesA veterinary practice is the noun (c). Still practises two days a week is the verb (s). Practices as a verb is the American spelling.
  28. 28. practicesWorking practices are ways of doing things, a plural noun, so British English writes practices with a c.
  29. 29. Change it to practice in verb usesAmerican English does not use practise. Every verb use becomes practice, practiced or practicing; the noun is already practice.
  30. 30. advise (a verb)If advise (a verb) fits the slot, British English needs practise. If advice (a noun) fits, or the word sits before a noun as in practice test, use practice.

The Rule in Each Variety

American English uses one spelling, practice, for everything: the noun (a medical practice, piano practice) and every form of the verb (practice, practices, practiced, practicing). Practise is not used in American spelling.

British English and most of the Commonwealth split the word. The noun is practice and the verb is practise: a doctor in general practice practises medicine. This applies to UK, Irish, Australian, New Zealand and South African English.

  • US: practice (noun), practice / practiced / practicing (verb), practiced (adjective).
  • UK, Aus, NZ, Ireland: practice (noun), practise / practised / practising (verb), practised (adjective).
  • Noun before a noun stays practice everywhere: practice test, practice match, practice manager.
  • Fixed noun phrases stay practice everywhere: in practice, best practice, put into practice.

The Advice/Advise Pattern Behind It

British English has a small set of words where a c marks the noun and an s marks the verb. Advice/advise and device/devise use that split in every variety of English, and they also sound different: advice ends in an s sound, advise in a z sound. Practice/practise and licence/license follow the same spelling split in British English, but without any change in pronunciation.

American English keeps the split for advice/advise and device/devise but not for practice or license, which use one spelling for both noun and verb. That is why the advice test is useful only when you are writing British-style English.

Writing British English? Put advice or advise in the slot. If advise fits, write practise (or license); if advice fits, write practice (or licence).

What About Canadian English?

Canadian English mixes British and American conventions. Canadian dictionaries generally record the British-style split (practice as the noun, practise as the verb), but practice as a verb is also widely seen in Canada. If you write for a Canadian organization, check its style guide; if there is none, pick one convention and keep to it.

How to Stay Consistent

Decide on the variety first. If you are writing for an American audience, there is nothing to decide: practice every time. If you are writing British English, check each use: is it a thing (practice) or an action (practise)?

Watch the forms that hide the verb. Practised and practising are always verb-based in British English, including the adjective (a practised performer, a practising solicitor). And keep the variety consistent across the whole document: practise in one paragraph and practiced in the next mixes British and American spelling.

  • Set the spellchecker to English (UK) or English (US) to match the variety you chose.
  • Search the document for 'practi' and check each result against the noun/verb rule.
  • Leave proper names and quotations as written.

Keep practicing

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it practice or practise in American English?

Practice. American English uses practice for both the noun and the verb: I practice every day, and soccer practice is at four. The past tense is practiced and the -ing form is practicing.

When do you use practise in British English?

Use practise when the word is a verb: I practise daily, she practised law, they are practising. Use practice when it is a noun: piano practice, a GP practice, in practice, a practice test.

Do practice and practise sound different?

No. In British English practice and practise are pronounced the same, so the difference is only in spelling. This is unlike advice and advise, which end in different sounds.

Check Practice and Practise in Your Draft

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Sources & References

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