Consul, Council, Counsel
Consul is the easiest of these to distinguish because it is pronounced differently than the other two, and has a limited use. Consul refers to an official appointed by a state to live in a foreign city and protect the state's citizens and interests there. Historically it may also refer to elected officials in ancient Rome, or magistrates from the first French Republic (1799-1804), but those are so specific that you should be able to tell from the context what is meant.
That leaves the other two, council and counsel. A council is meeting for discussion or advice, but to counsel is a verb meaning to give advice. They sound exactly the same, but the language council met and decided to counsel you on how to keep them straight. Council is a group of people who get together to figure something out, or or a group chosen to give advice, like a student council. Used as an adjective, council describes things related to a council, such as a council candidate or a council room, or a council member:
On the other hand, counsel is more slippery; it can act as a noun or a verb. As a noun, counsel is a synonym for advice, but it can also mean the act of giving that advice or refer to a person who gives legal advice. In fact, a lawyer who goes to trial for you is your counsel. That lawyer would counsel you. Here are some counsels in the wild:
Before the 16th century, council and counsel were interchangeable, but by the 1500s, the meanings became more particular. The two should not be confused. If you need a verb or a lawyer, use counsel because she'll say something helpful. If you are referring to a meeting or group, choose c for crowd and council. (Description from Vocabulary.com and Grammarly) |