Practice vs.

Practise
If youʼve ever wondered why itʼs spelled practice in some contexts
and practise in others, it mainly comes down to British versus
American spelling.

In British English, which is also called International English, practise

is a verb and practice is a noun. American English tends to avoid
practise altogether, using practice as both the noun and verb form.

The noun practice

As a noun, practice means a “habit or custom” (as in a religious
practice).

It can also mean “repeated exercise to acquire a skill” (e.g., practice

makes perfect), or “the pursuit of a profession” (e.g., she just
retired from her medical practice).

This noun sense of practice is used by both British and American

English.

The verb practice/practise

In American English, practice is also used as the verb. It means “to
do something repeatedly in order to master it” or “to pursue as an
occupation or art.” So a churchgoer can practice their religion, just
as a student might practice the violin.

In British English, the verb form of the word is rendered as practise.

So in the above examples, our churchgoer practises their religion,
while our student practices their instrument. This convention is true
of British, Canadian, and Australian English.
Other words ending in –ice and –ise
While Britain and American canʼt quite agree on how to use practice
vs. practise, they can at least agree on advice and advise.

In both International and American English, advise is the verb (e.g.,

she advised him against smoking), while advice is the noun (e.g., he
ignored her advice and smoked anyway).

But the above convention is not true of all –ice words. Service is a
word where both its verb and noun forms end in -ice. In the
sentence “He serviced her car,” service is a verb. Meanwhile, in “she
tipped well for the service,” service is also a noun. These words are
used this same way throughout the English-speaking world.

Similarly, there are also several words that end in -ise for both the
verb and noun forms of the word. Promise, surprise, merchandise,
and franchise all fall into this category for both International and
American English.

Curious about more differences between American and International

English? Flip through this: A Glimpse Into The Differences Between
US, UK, And Aussie English.