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"Apprise" = to inform or notify someone of something; "appraise" = to assess the value or quality of something.
Side-by-side comparison
"Apprise" means to inform or notify someone about something. You give someone the information they need to know.
Please keep the director apprised of any developments in the negotiation process.
The general apprised his troops of the change in orders before they moved out.
I was not apprised of the decision until it had already been implemented.
"Appraise" means to evaluate or assess the value of something, usually professionally. An expert appraises the value of a jewel, a property, or a work of art.
The bank required an independent expert to appraise the property before approving the mortgage.
At her annual review, her manager appraised her performance and gave her a rating of "exceeds expectations".
The auction house appraised the painting at $2.4 million based on its condition and provenance.
Common mistake
"Keep me appraised" is the most common slip: it sounds almost the same, but what you want is to be informed, not valued. If you are asked to "apprise" your boss, you let them know; if you are asked to "appraise" a house, you put a price on it.
Trick to remember it
- •The object reveals it: APPRISE = the object is a PERSON who receives information ("keep me apprised" = keep me informed). APPRAISE = the object is a THING with monetary VALUE ("appraise the property" = assess its worth).
- •Person receiving news → APPRISE. Thing being valued in money → APPRAISE.
Quick rule
- •"Apprise" = to inform a person (keep me apprised = keep me informed).
- •"Appraise" = to evaluate the value of something (appraise a house = assess its value).
Did you know?
"Keep me apprised" and "keep me in the loop" are equivalent expressions in formal and informal professional settings. The first is the formal, legalistic form, common in executive correspondence and military communications. The second is colloquial and modern. Both mean: do not leave me out of the relevant information.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
The doctor called to _____ him of the test results as soon as they arrived.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
She hired an expert to _____ the painting before deciding whether to sell it.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
'Eminent' describes a person of outstanding reputation in a field; 'imminent' describes something that is about to happen very soon.
'Precede' means to come before something in time or order; 'proceed' means to continue forward or carry on with something.
"Above" is at a higher level without contact; "over" implies covering, movement, or crossing.
'Currently' means 'at the present time'; 'actually' means 'in reality', not 'nowadays'.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy