If you’ve ever confused the words appraise and apprise, you’re in good company. Appraise and apprise are both verbs, and they look and sound similar. That’s why it’s no surprise that people often mix them up or think they can use them interchangeably. In this post, we’ll break down the difference between appraise vs. apprise.
Appraise vs. apprise are different words
Like all together vs. altogether, appraise vs. apprise are distinct words. Here’s what they mean:
Appraise
Let’s start with appraise. When you hear this word, you may be most likely to think of what people do when they assess the value of jewelry. That’s because appraise means to assess the value or quality of something. For example, you would appraise in sentences like these:
- “It’s a good idea to get the necklace appraised.”
- “Let’s appraise the situation.”
- “They’re thinking of selling their home soon, so they’ve hired someone to appraise it.”
When you’re thinking about the difference between appraise vs. apprise, remember that appraise describes what you do when you evaluate the value or quality of something.
Apprise
So now you know what appraise means. But what about apprise?
Apprise means to make someone aware of something. In other words, when you are apprising someone of something, you’re telling them about it. Here’s how you would use apprise in a sentence:
- “The police were immediately apprised of the situation.”
- “The team needed to apprise Tom of the mistake.”
- “Sarah was worried about apprising Michal of the severity of the damage.”
When you’re thinking about the difference between appraise vs. apprise, remember that apprise describes what you do when you inform someone about something.
How to remember the difference between appraise vs. apprise
Appraise vs. apprise are easy to confuse. So how can you keep them straight? Remember that appraise contains the word raise. When you appraise something, you hope the value or quality of it will be greater than what you thought it would be (or “raised”).
Summary
Appraise vs. apprise differ by just one letter, but they mean very different things. Use appraise to describe what you do when you assess the value or quality of something. And use apprise to describe what you do when you tell someone about something.
Would you use anxious or eager in this sentence: “Samara loves dessert, so she’s ______ to see the dessert menu.” Find the answer in our post on the difference between anxious vs. eager.