Practice
Practice or practise: which spelling should you use?
Sign in to saveThe practice starts at six. We practise until seven. In British English, the first sentence uses a noun and the second uses a verb. In American English, both sentences use practice.
Choose practice or practise by identifying the word's job and the spelling variety your reader expects.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
practice / practise /ˈpræk.tɪs/
The short answer
In British English, practice is usually the noun and practise is usually the verb. In American English, practice is used for both.
British English: The choir has practice on Tuesday, and the singers practise at home.
Why it works: Practice names the session. Practise describes what the singers do.
5 more examples
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The basketball practice begins after school.
Practice is a noun that names the session. This spelling works in British and American English.
Not this:The players
practise free throwsafter school. What changes: In British English, practise is the verb for the action the players do. -
I practise the presentation before the meeting.
This is British English. Practise is the verb because it describes rehearsal.
Not this:I
practice the presentationbefore the meeting. What changes: This is American English. Practice is the standard spelling for the same verb. -
Her piano practice is part of her evening routine.
Practice names the activity in this sentence, so both spelling varieties use practice.
Not this:She
practises the pianofor thirty minutes each evening. What changes: In British English, the third-person verb is practises. -
The clinic is a busy medical practice.
Practice is a noun for the professional work or business of a doctor. Both varieties use this spelling.
Not this:The doctor
practises medicinein the city centre. What changes: In British English, practises is the verb for doing professional work. -
We practised the safety routine yesterday.
This is the British past-tense verb spelling.
Not this:We
practiced the safety routineyesterday. What changes: This is the American past-tense verb spelling.
Read the full guide
Use the noun and verb test before you choose a spelling. If the word names a session, a skill activity, or professional work, British and American English both use practice. If it describes the action of rehearsing or developing a skill, British English usually uses practise, while American English uses practice.
Choose the spelling variety first
British and American English use different spelling patterns here. A British reader normally expects practice for the noun and practise for the verb. An American reader expects practice in both places. Decide which variety your document uses before you edit individual sentences.
In American English, the coach plans practice and the team members practice every day.
British English separates the noun and verb spellings. American English uses one spelling for both jobs.
Use practice for the noun
A noun can name a session, an activity, a habit, or professional work. It may follow an article or another noun: a practice, dance practice, or legal practice. British and American English both use practice when the word has this job.
The debate club has a practice before the competition.
Which spelling completes this noun phrase: daily spelling ___?
Use practice. The phrase names an activity, so it needs the noun spelling in both British and American English.
Use practise as the British verb
A verb tells you what someone does. In British English, use practise when a person rehearses, trains, or repeats a skill. The verb can change form: I practise, she practises, and they practised.
They practise their lines before the performance.
British noun: rehearsal practice. British verb: the actors practise their lines.
Use practice for the American verb
American English uses practice for the verb as well as the noun. Write I practice, she practices, and they practiced. The sentence meaning still tells you whether the word is an activity or an action.
She practices new vocabulary on the train.
American noun: vocabulary practice. American verb: she practices new vocabulary.
Check the sentence and keep it consistent
Read the whole sentence after choosing the spelling. If you are using British English, check whether the word names something or describes an action. If you are using American English, use practice but still check the grammar around it. Do not switch varieties by accident in a letter, report, or application.
British English: I need more practice, so I will practise again tomorrow.
You are writing for a British course. Which sentence is correct: I need more practise, so I will practice tonight?
Write: I need more practice, so I will practise tonight. The first word is a noun and the second is a verb.
Before you go
Remember this
For British English, use practice for the noun and practise for the verb. For American English, use practice for both. Decide what the word does in the sentence, then keep the spelling variety consistent for your reader.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Practice or practise: which spelling should you use?"
What is the difference between practice and practise?
In British English, practice usually names an activity, session, or profession, while practise describes the act of training or rehearsing. American English normally spells both uses practice. Check the sentence role and the spelling variety your reader expects.
The basketball practice begins after school.
Is practice a noun or a verb?
Practice is a noun in both British and American English, as in piano practice or a medical practice. It is also the usual American verb spelling, as in I practice piano. British English usually uses practise for that verb.
The players practise free throws after school.
How do you use practise in a British sentence?
Use practise when it describes an action in British English. You can write I practise piano, she practises her speech, or we practised the safety routine. The matching noun remains practice, as in piano practice.
I practise the presentation before the meeting.
Why does American English use practice for both forms?
American spelling convention uses practice for the noun and the verb. The grammar still shows the word's role: a practice can name a session, while to practice describes repeated training. Use the spelling style required by your audience or guide.
I practice the presentation before the meeting.
Are practice and practise pronounced differently?
They are usually pronounced the same: /ˈpræk.tɪs/. The difference is a written spelling choice, so listen to the sentence meaning and check the regional style when you write.
Her piano practice is part of her evening routine.