Appraise Versus Apprise
The English language can be a rather confusing language at times. Some words sound exactly alike with entirely different meanings. Some words have such different meanings that people get confused in conversations. So it is not surprisng when word such as “appraise” and “apprise” can be get confusing. Let’s clear up these linguistical muddy waters.
They Don’t Sound Alike
“Appraise” has more of a long “A” sound while “apprise” has a long “I” sound. This isn’t why people get them confused. It is more of how they look. Only one letter separates these books. It is in writing these words out where the confusion lies.
Defintions
Apprise is defined by Miriam Webster as “to give notice to; tell.”
Appraise is defined as “to set a value on; to estimate the amount of”.
When you apprise someone, you are telling them information or catching them up on a situation. When you appraise something, you are giving it a value.
How to Remember
As you are writing, you might slip up and write the wrong word only becuase your hand was moving faster than your brain. Then you question if you are using the right word or not. Completely understandable. Maybe we can help you out.
Think of it this way. If you have an “a” in the word, you have an amount. That means “appraise”. I’m sure other people have ways to remember. Whatever works for you!
Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.
