How to spell counsel

Counsel is spelled C-O-U-N-S-E-L.

hear itcoun·sel/'kaʊnsəl/nounHidden vowels

What it means: Advice or guidance given to someone.

In a sentence: The teacher gave wise counsel to the students.

Not to be confused with: council, a different word.

Same family: counselor, counselling, legal-counsel, counselled, counseling. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Counsel” comes from Old French “conseil,” meaning ‘advice’ or ‘deliberation,’ and from Latin “consilium,” meaning ‘plan’ or ‘judgment.’ Over time, English extended the meaning to refer not just to advice, but also to the lawyer who gives that legal advice and speaks in court.

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Words like this

council · wince · illicit · elicit · discrete · discreet

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