In each of these pairs, the word with the “c” is usually the noun; the word with the “s” is the verb.
I need some advice. Could you advise me, please?
Left to her own devices, she devised an ingenious plan.
He is licensed to drive, but he forgot his driver’s licence at home.
The team has a practice tonight; they will practise scoring goals.
I remember the difference with a mnemonic. “C” comes before “s” alphabetically just as “n” (noun) comes before “v” (verb) alphabetically.
However, the difference can also be one of usage. As always, check a style guide for the audience for whom you write. For example, “practice” is a noun and a verb in American English.
Resources
ESLdesk has good quizzes for commonly confused words; advice/advise is amongst them. World-English has a quiz for practice/practise and Santa Monica College has one for device/devise.
If you cannot remember what a noun or a verb is, I always suggest watching the Schoolhouse Rocks videos. They are accessible and instructive.
Verbs:
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