Advice vs. Suggestion
What Is Their Main Difference?
Both of these words refer to helping someone with what to do in a situation. However, 'advice' is more formal and it is mainly given by elders or someone more experienced than us while 'suggestion' is just someone's opinion and we are not necessarily expected to do it.
Differences
As stated above, we usually ask elders for a piece of 'advice' because they are more experienced than us and we mainly listen to what they have to say. Look:
He seems lost, so why not give him some piece of advice?
The children want your advice, mom.
However, a 'suggestion' is just someone's opinion on something and it may not necessarily be suitable for our situation. Look at the following examples:
You want my suggestion? Well, just don't talk to him anymore.
Their suggestion seems more logical to me.
Similarities
Basically, both of them indicate that someone is seeking help and guidance from someone else. Study the following examples:
Well, do you have any better suggestions?
In the old days, many people used to go to the oldest man in the village when they needed advice.
Are They Interchangeable?
Although both of these words refer to helping someone through their decisions, they cannot be used interchangeably. Below, we have two examples and both are correct. However, we mainly seek a friend's 'suggestion', rather than 'advice' because 'advice' is used in more formal contexts. Compare:
✓ I asked my friend for a friendly suggestion on which topic to choose.
✓ I asked my friend for a friendly advice on which topic to choose.
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