Aged 66 and I learned today…

[whatsadentist]

That you have a TV licenCe but it’s issued by TV licenSing!!

well I never 😳

I use advice and advise to remind me of these rules. Because they don't sound the same, I find it easier to remember. To advise - the verb. A piece of advice - the noun.

Well yes, licence=noun, license=verb (hence licensing).

See also, as per PP, advice=noun, advise=verb.

Device=noun, devise=verb

Practice=noun, practise=verb

About 50 years ago I was taught advise/advice to distinguish when you should use s or c, it works every time.

Only learned this myself in the last few months and it turns out I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I thought I was fairly OK at spelling too! Ah well.

Still get caught out by diarrhoea (the spelling, not the condition!).

Dash In A Real Rush, Hurry Or Else Accident!

It's another grammatical law that U. S English hasn't adhered to.
Not being goady but I wonder why?
See also Estrogen/realize/Center etc..

I've spend 30 years saying, 'I advise you to practise using practice papers' to exam students 😁

It was all thanks to Mr Webster a couple of hundred years ago and his attempt to simplify English in America. Hence colour becoming color, and programme becoming program.

Oh
my
god

just changed my life

🙌

they don't sound the same This.
Adviser/advising doesn't sound like advice.

I use "ice" to remind me of this rule...cos "ice" is a thing and "ise" is not. (And yes I know ice can also be a verb but I conveniently ignore that)

Harassed rhymes with embarrassed.

We Americans do, however, still observe the difference between advice and advise.

Perhaps because they are actually pronounced differently?

I learnt this one a few years ago! So appropriate too 😂

Can I ask OP whether you knew noun practice and verb practise and it was just licence/license that threw you?

To assist with these types of words I was taught that you "c" the noun.