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"Some advice" or "some advices" as in "I got some advice / advices for you"? So, Which is correct?

In Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, "advice" is uncountable noun, so "Some advice" is the correct one.

However, googling "some advices" returns 400K results and in fact many formal English articles / news use "some advices" as in this article on Yahoo News: "Real World 101: What Every Graduate Should Know".

Although graduating from college is a great accomplishment which should be recognized, it is not the end. In fact, it is just the beginning of a totally new phase in life which the graduates are unfamiliar with. Below are some advices for the new graduates that are not thought in schools.

So, I think "some advices" could be accepted as an alternative to "some advice" though it is not 100% accurate.

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    "Some advices" is a classical error made by someone for whom English is not their first language. "Below are some advices for the new graduates that are not thought in schools." is clearly written by someone in this category, as "not thought in schools" is likewise not idiomatic.
    – Hot Licks
    Oct 23, 2015 at 8:30
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    @Mari-LouA - I have seen "some advices" many many times here in Stack Exchange, in most cases clearly written by non-native English speakers. I suspect that Stack Exchange alone could account for the "popularity" of the phrase in Google, given that this is where you come to ask for advice. You are right, though, that "thought" may simply be a typo for "taught". (But in any case the referenced article is poorly edited.)
    – Hot Licks
    Oct 23, 2015 at 9:02
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    @HotLicks - I'm not convinced it's just a "classical error". I believe that pluralising "advice" is very common in Indian English, and therefore it is very possible that it is taught in India.
    – AndyT
    Oct 23, 2015 at 9:02
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    closely related but not a duplicate of the following: 1. Plural of “advice” 2. Is “Just a friendly advice” grammatical?
    – Mari-Lou A
    Oct 23, 2015 at 9:11
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    when I google "some advices" I get c. 18,200,000 results and for "some advice" I get c. 966,000,000 implying that only 1.85% of pages use the incorrect "some advices". However, of this relatively insignificant number many fall into both categories (I haven't the time to sample them right now to get an estimate of the proportion) as they are either asking or instructing as to which is the correct form. Many of those that do not fall into both categories are likely to be people who's first language is not English (judging by the first page) so do not represent "correct" English.
    – MD-Tech
    Oct 23, 2015 at 10:09

4 Answers 4

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As noted, advice is uncountable so it takes no plural form. In the following extract from "Oxford dictionaries", however, they hint at a legal/business usage of advice as a countable noun.

Taking and giving advice

  • The central difference between advice and advise is that the spelling advice, with -ice at the end, is the standard English spelling for the noun, but never for the verb. Advice has two meanings:

  • guidance or recommendations offered to someone about the best course of action to take in a particular situation: she gave good advice about treating everyone with respect; her help surprised him, but he took her advice.

  • (in business and legal use) a formal record of a financial agreement or other transaction: cheques and remittance advices were raised in alphabetical order.

  • Advice is mainly used with the first meaning, and in this meaning it is a mass noun (that is, it has no plural).

  • The business/legal meaning, however, is a count noun: it has a plural form, advices.

    • Tip 1: there are just two possible forms for the noun: advice and advices.

    • Tip 2: when you pronounce advice, the ending rhymes with ice.

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    This answer could be improved if you explained why there are so many "mistakes". The OP is justifiably confused by the number of positive results Google produces.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Oct 23, 2015 at 8:05
  • @Mari-LouA: To be fair, the OP is explicitly asking for what’s correct. If your assumption is correct, the question should either be closed (because it’s either unclear or contains two questions in one) or edited.
    – Wrzlprmft
    Oct 23, 2015 at 8:11
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    @Wrzlprmft The OP is confused by the 40K results, and says: So, I think "some advices" could be accepted as an alternative to "some advice" based on the evidence he has before him. One could provide an easy enough explanation for this common error, or perhaps actually draw different conclusions. The question is very clear, and the fact two questions are implied doesn't mean the post is off-topic, they are both closely related. But if we want to be nit-picking, there is only one question.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Oct 23, 2015 at 8:15
  • @Mari-LouA: Well, you cannot have both. If you think that the question implies asking for the reason of the mistake (if it is one), this should be stated explicitly in the question. If you think that the question does not ask for this, you cannot blame answers for not answering it – in fact this would make the answer digress from the actual question in my opinion.
    – Wrzlprmft
    Oct 23, 2015 at 8:30
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    The OED seems to say that advices is an obsolete form still used in India and the Caribbean. Sir Walter Scott wrote "This good-natured and gallant young knight is somewhat drawn aside by the rash advices of his squire," so it could still be used as a count noun ca. 1800.
    – Peter Shor
    Oct 23, 2015 at 11:54
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"Some advices" is archaic, having passed out of use about 100 years ago. See Ngram.

Likely it is true that this usage still persists in India, as parts of the English language as used there were "frozen" about that long ago.

It is not, however, considered to be modern, idiomatic usage in the US or, to my knowledge, in the British Isles, and its use would generally cause a reader to suspect that the author was not a "native English speaker".

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  • Advices used to be considered correct, along with informations. I read the article quoted and something seemed "off" about it. Anyway, up vote for you.
    – michael_timofeev
    Oct 23, 2015 at 15:30
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"Advice" is uncountable and all those "advices" you're seeing are just mistakes.

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    This answer could be improved if you explained why there are so many "mistakes". The OP is justifiably confused by the number of positive results Google produces.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Oct 23, 2015 at 8:05
  • COCA has many examples of advice being countable. So this answer in its current form is factually wrong.
    – RegDwigнt
    Oct 23, 2015 at 11:34
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In a sentence, "I got some advice/advices for you.", it is absolutely wrong to use advices as advice is defined as a mass (abstract) noun which is uncountable:

[Mass Noun] Guidance or recommendations offered with regard to prudent action:
'my advice is to see your doctor" ‘he should take advice from his accountant’

[Oxford Online Dictionary]

However, advices are being used in the English language in a different meaning as follows and its plural forms are also defined in some dictionaries including Oxford Online Dictionary:

A formal notice of a financial transaction: ‘remittance advices’
(also advices) archaic Information; news:
‘the want of fresh advices from Europe’

[Oxford Online Dictionary]

Wiktionary states that advices can be used when they mean information or notice given:

Information or notice given; intelligence; as, late advices from France; commonly in the plural. In commercial language, advice usually means information communicated by letter; used chiefly in reference to drafts or bills of exchange; as, a letter of advice.

Conclusion: advice and advices have a different meaning and usage.

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  • @PeterShor I put archaic in the middle. When they are used in reference to drafts or exchanges, the plural form can be used. You advise a letter of credit from foreign banks and advice is used in a plural form if there are more than 2 letters of credit.
    – user140086
    Oct 23, 2015 at 11:57

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