Council vs counsel
Council and counsel sound the same. A council is a group of people who lead or make decisions. Counsel is advice, or to give advice.
Think city council. Council and city both have ci, and a city council is a group.
council noun
A group of people chosen to lead or make decisions for a town, school, or other group.
- The city council voted to build a new park.
- She was elected to the student council last year.
counsel noun
Advice that someone gives to help another person decide what to do.
- He asked his father for counsel before he changed jobs.
- Her teacher's wise counsel helped her choose a college.
Watch out
- Counsel can also mean a lawyer who speaks for someone in court.The court appointed counsel to represent the defendant.
- Counsel is also a verb that means to give advice, often as part of a job. Its past form is counseled in American English and counselled in British English.The therapist counseled the couple through their difficulties.
- To keep your own counsel means to keep your thoughts, opinions or plans to yourself. It is always counsel here.He kept his own counsel, revealing his intentions to no one.
Test yourself
The town blank meets every Tuesday night.
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council. This is a group of people who run the town, so use council.
She went to her grandmother for blank about the move.
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counsel. She wanted advice, and counsel means advice.
The student blank planned the spring dance.
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council. A group of students makes the decisions, so use council.
The therapist will blank the family through a hard time.
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counsel. This is the verb that means to give advice. Council is a noun.