Advisor or adviser – which one is correct?
Advisor or adviser? The English language never ceases to amaze us with its peculiarities and the existence of advisor and adviser is one of them. Not only is it related to the issue of various spellings but also to the complex history of the English language itself. Let’s dig in!
Advisor vs. adviser – correct form and its definition
Both – advisor and adviser – are correct! They are known as agent nouns. Thus, they describe someone performing an activity of instructing in a subject.
Advisor or adviser – what does history have to do with it?
Although the English language is said to have Germanic ancestors, its complex formation makes it a part of a bigger group – the Proto-Indo-European family of languages. Hence, English is a blend of various word-formation rules. In the case of the ending -or in advisor, it stems from Latin, and the -er in adviser has Germanic roots.
Advisor vs. adviser – why do we still use both forms?
Quoting the classic, Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t! Although the meaning of both advisor and adviser stays the same, they happen to be used in different situations. The latter prevails among agent nouns. Even though the form adviser is widely spread, advisor is still popular in the USA and Canada where it tends to be used to refer to official positions, such as National Security Advisor or Presidential Advisor.
Advisor or adviser? It’s all clear! Examples in sentences
Steve Bannon, advisor to former President Donald Trump, speaks to the media as a protester stands behind him (…).
Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY NEWS
Fauci, 81, announced Monday that he would step down in December as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and as President Joe Biden’s top medical adviser.
Ken Alltucker, Elizabeth Weise, Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY NEWS
Some areas could have more than half of their debt adviser workforce made redundant (…).
Patrick Butler, The Guardian
