Talk:adviser

Adviser vs. Advisor

(Moved 2005-05-26 from main adviser page by 66.1.155.117 2005-05-27, 02:27)

(What about advisor ? Is that a mis-spelling ?) Merriam-Webster doesn't think so. DavidCary 2005-04-15, 02:29

I have removed the line "In the US, an adviser has a connotation of someone offering unsolicited advice, while an advisor is someone speaking with at least some amount of wisdom or authority." The same line was in the "advisor" page with Os and Es switched, contradicting this one. 66.1.155.117 2005-05-27, 02:27

While adviser and advisor are generally interchangeable, they are typically used in different contexts and this has little to do with differences between English as spoken in the UK or the USA or elsewhere in the English speaking world.

Typically adviser is used in a general sense to describe the actions of someone giving advice. On the other hand, advisor is normally reserved as the title or role of someone who is providing advice in a professional capacity. For example, see the following:

• Definition of role of Legal Advisor BBC UK
• Cabinet roles at the Whitehouse (USA) note several titles Senior Advisor {name}

• Recomend an Advisor (Australia) (Australian government website)

Enquire 07:34, 18 December 2009 (UTC)

I dispute the following statement:

In the UK, Ireland and Asia the spelling is traditionally adviser, though US spelling advisor is becoming increasingly common. In the US, Associated Press style is adviser, and most newspapers and some magazines follow that spelling, while US federal government style, other government agencies, and many businesses prefer advisor. News organizations around the world may change spelling found in sources, even in quoted material. US book publishers may be less likely to change spelling in quoted material because the practice is contrary to The Chicago Manual of Style.

It is not true that the spelling is different based on location, but rather based on usage, as described and explained above. However, there is a great deal of confusion over this, but I prefer not to take the liberty to delete or edit that paragraph until others have an opportunity to consider how best to revise the above quoted paragraph. Enquire 08:04, 18 December 2009 (UTC)