To not be able to get the difference between 'practice' and 'practise' right?

[MariaWaria]

I've had a lifetime of getting these wrong. I've googled sites which apparently explain - practice is a noun which means the act, and practise is the verb and is about doing something repeatedly, but I still get them wrong.

Something like: "If practised/practiced efficiently will pay benefits," stumps me.

AIBU to just not be able to get it?

OP I have the same problem with advise/advice.
@CIS it’s not that OP doesn’t get which one is a noun and which one is a verb. Its when in use, being able to distinguish which one they are using eg “I need more practise/practice?”. “Practice” being the correct answer, but its very easy to think you are talking about the verb as a doing/act word.

I’m finally able to distinguish between when I’m using advice/advise but have to think very carefully about it to get it right.

I remember effect/affect by thinking that special effects are a thing, and they’re abbreviated to SFX - and FX sounds like effects, not affects.

Of course as well as effect sometimes being a verb, affect can be a noun ... good job they’re both quite niche uses!

A teacher once said "you need to practiSe if you're Shit" 😁

"you need to practiSe if you're Shit" "Grammar is the difference between knowing your shit and knowing you're shit". Irrelevant, but I like it.

I was also going to say use advice and advise. It’s the only one we say differently and it matches to practise / practice and to license / license.

Bloody iPhone doesn’t like licence though!

It sounds like the definition of verb and noun you're using aren't very helpful, OP. Try considering whether you can put 'a' or 'the'in front of it. If you can, it's practice. If you can't, it's practise.

It finally clicked for me when I started thinking it as ice as in ice cube, that being a noun :)

In your sentenced you wrote "if I practiced" You cant because practice is the noun not the verb. Just remember that one doesnt change

If it helps, remember We practise , and The practice

Sash- "throwing the club at your head the affect is the club hitting,"
no sorry affect is a verb, and effect can also be a verb according to my dictionary.
The effect can be a noun which would be the result

My shorthand teacher gave me an example I never forgot.

Practise with an s is for verbs, verbs are doing words, sex is something you do.

It was such a shock that this little elderly grey-haired old lady (although now I realise she was probably only 50 and I was an ignorant teen!) used sex as an example of something you 'do' that I never forgot which practise was which!

Thanks all.

Seems to be a case of finding a phase or system that will stick in my head. My favourites that I think I'll retain are:

We practise, and The practice
Sex is something you do.

So when people say you need to 'practise, practise, practise' it's with an 's' - right?