Appraise vs Apprise: 5 Simple Checks for Better Word Choice
The appraise vs apprise difference is simple: appraise means assess, evaluate, or value; apprise means inform, notify, or tell. Choose appraise when judging worth or quality, and apprise when giving someone information.
Appraise vs Apprise: Meaning at a Glance
Both words are verbs, but they describe different actions. An assessment may produce information that you later pass on; the assessment and the communication still need different verbs.
| Point of comparison | Appraise | Apprise |
|---|---|---|
| Main action | Assess worth, quality, or merit | Give someone information |
| Typical focus | A property, an item, a situation, or a person’s work | A person who needs to know something |
| Useful pattern | Appraise something or someone | Apprise someone of something |
| Past form | Appraised | Apprised |
| Example | The specialist appraised the ring. | The specialist apprised the owner of the findings. |
What does appraise mean?
Merriam-Webster’s entry for appraise covers setting a value and evaluating worth or merit. The word can describe a financial valuation or a broader judgment.
A person who appraises a house estimates its value. A manager who appraises an employee’s work evaluates its quality. The second use does not require a price tag.
- Property: The owner hired a specialist to appraise the apartment before the sale.
- Performance: The supervisor appraised Maya’s work against the agreed goals.
- A situation: Before accepting the offer, Daniel appraised the risks.
Use appraise when an assessment is the point of the sentence. If you mean simply looking at an object, the word may suggest more judgment than you intend.
What does apprise mean?
Merriam-Webster’s entry for apprise describes giving notice or telling someone. The person receiving the information is the object of the verb.
Cambridge Dictionary labels apprise formal. It fits an official update, although inform or tell may sound more natural in a casual message.
- A schedule change: Please apprise the client of the revised delivery date.
- A decision: The coordinator apprised the applicants of the outcome.
- Ongoing updates: Keep the project lead apprised of any delays.
The information can concern an assessment, but apprise names the act of communicating it. It does not mean evaluating the person who receives the message.
5 Simple Checks for Choosing the Correct Verb
1. Replace the verb with assess or inform
Try a plain substitute before choosing the longer word. If assess or evaluate preserves the intended action, use appraise. If inform preserves it, use apprise.
“We need to assess the collection” points to appraise. “We need to inform the owner of the results” points to apprise. Test the whole sentence, including its preposition.
2. Decide whether the person is judged or informed
“Appraise things; apprise people” is an incomplete memory rule. A person can also be appraised: a supervisor may assess an employee’s abilities or work.
The Language Portal of Canada’s usage guide includes appraising people and their abilities. The distinction is the person’s role in the action.
- Appraise an employee: assess the employee’s performance or abilities.
- Apprise an employee of a decision: give the employee information.
For a performance review, use appraise. Avoid apprise because it changes assessment into communication. If “appraise someone” feels too broad, name what you are assessing: their work, skills, or progress.
3. Check the pattern with of
For an information update, the dependable pattern is apprise someone of something. The recipient comes first; the information follows of.
“Apprise the team of the change” means inform the team. “Appraise the team’s performance” means evaluate its work. Adding of cannot turn appraise into an informing verb.
This pattern is a useful clue, rather than a claim that every possible sentence with apprise must have the same structure.
4. Check what keep me means in the request
If the request is for continuing updates, write keep me apprised. “Keep me appraised of changes” uses the wrong verb for that intended meaning.
Keep the original wording in a formal report if it suits the audience. For a routine email, “Please keep me informed” or “Please keep me updated” is usually a clearer editorial choice.
5. Separate appraise from praise
Appraise and praise are not interchangeable. Merriam-Webster’s entry for praise concerns expressing a favorable judgment; an appraisal can identify weaknesses.
“The manager appraised the proposal” describes an evaluation. “The manager praised the proposal” expresses approval. “The manager apprised the team of the decision” reports communication.
Do not assume that a positive appraisal is the same action as praising someone. An evaluation may lead to praise, criticism, or a mixed assessment.
How to Pronounce the Two Words
The vowel in the second syllable separates the pronunciations. Appraise rhymes with praise; apprise rhymes with prize. Both have stress on the second syllable.
| Word | IPA | Readable guide | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appraise | /əˈpreɪz/ | uh-PRAYZ | Cambridge audio |
| Apprise | /əˈpraɪz/ | uh-PRYZE | Cambridge audio |
Cambridge’s pronunciation entries provide the IPA shown here. The readable guides are approximations to help you hear the difference; use the linked audio for the sounds themselves.
Synonyms and Alternatives That Fit the Intended Meaning
Choose a replacement for the action, then check its grammar. These are context-tested alternatives, not a promise that every word can replace either verb in every sentence.
Direct Swap keeps the sentence structure in the stated context. Swap With Adjustment changes part of the grammar. A Near-Synonym retains a difference in emphasis; a Contextual Alternative fits a narrower task.
Alternatives to appraise
Merriam-Webster lists assess, estimate, value, and evaluate as synonyms of appraise. The table shows where each is a useful substitute and where its emphasis changes.
| Alternative | Relationship | Substitution | Natural sentence | Choose it when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assess | Near-Synonym | Direct Swap | We assessed the damage. | You want a broad judgment of condition or extent. |
| Evaluate | Near-Synonym | Direct Swap | We evaluated the proposal. | You want to judge quality, merit, or effectiveness. |
| Estimate | Near-Synonym | Direct Swap | We estimated the repair costs. | You mean an approximate amount; a full evaluation is not implied. |
| Value | Near-Synonym | Direct Swap | The specialist valued the apartment. | You mean determining monetary worth. “Value a friend” has a different meaning. |
For a report about the quality of a proposal, choose evaluate. Avoid value if readers might mistake the assessment for a financial valuation or an expression of appreciation.
For a professional valuation of a valuable item, appraise is already precise. Replacing it simply to vary the vocabulary can make the task less clear.
Alternatives to apprise
Start with “She apprised me of the changes.” Inform, notify, and the informing sense of advise fit that structure. The other choices below need a different preposition.
| Alternative | Relationship | Substitution | Natural sentence | Choose it when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inform | Near-Synonym | Direct Swap | She informed me of the changes. | You want a plain, neutral statement about providing information. |
| Notify | Near-Synonym | Direct Swap | She notified me of the changes. | You mean giving a notice that requires attention. |
| Advise | Near-Synonym | Direct Swap | She advised me of the changes. | You mean formally informing, rather than recommending an action. |
| Tell | Near-Synonym | Swap With Adjustment | She told me about the changes. | You want an ordinary conversational wording; change “of” to “about” here. |
| Update | Contextual Alternative | Swap With Adjustment | She updated me on the changes. | You are bringing someone up to date; use “on” in this example. |
| Brief | Contextual Alternative | Swap With Adjustment | She briefed me on the changes. | You are giving essential information, often to prepare someone for a task. |
Advise has both informing and recommending senses. “She advised me of the delay” gives information; “She advised me to wait” recommends an action.
Brief emphasizes essential information or preparation. Update emphasizes bringing someone up to date. Neither is a blanket substitute for every use of apprise.
Email Wording and Sentence Repairs
For a formal request, “Please apprise me of the changes” works. For a short message to a colleague, “Please let me know about any changes” is a plainer editorial recommendation.
Formality does not guarantee courtesy. A request still needs an appropriate tone, enough context, and a reasonable expectation of the recipient.
If you are weighing the tone of a request, see our guide to using kindly in an email. If similar spellings are the problem, compare respectfully and respectively.
| Wording to repair | Correct wording for the intended meaning | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Keep me appraised of any changes. | Keep me apprised of any changes. | The request concerns information, not an assessment of the speaker. |
| Please apprise the value of the ring. | Please appraise the ring. | The task is evaluating the item’s worth. |
| She apprised me on the revised deadline. | She apprised me of the revised deadline. | Use “of” for this informing pattern; “updated me on” is another option. |
| She apprised me the revised deadline. | She told me the revised deadline. | Requires Rewrite: “tell” accepts this structure; “apprise” needs a different construction. |
Keep the past forms separate too: appraised records an assessment; apprised records someone being informed. Changing the tense does not remove the difference in meaning.
Using Both Verbs in One Situation
The two verbs can describe different stages of the same event. A specialist first evaluates an item, then communicates the findings to its owner.
- Valuation: The specialist appraised the ring, then apprised the owner of the findings.
- Performance review: The supervisor appraised Lina’s work and apprised her of the areas needing improvement.
- Planning: The committee appraised the options before apprising residents of its decision.
Read the verbs as two actions: evaluate, then inform. Neither word can replace the other without changing what happened.
How This Page Was Checked
Definitions and usage patterns were checked against Merriam-Webster and the Language Portal of Canada. Cambridge Dictionary supplied the pronunciation entries and the formal label for apprise.
Example sentences were written for this guide. The synonym classifications and recommendations are SynonymQ editorial judgments tied to the contexts shown, rather than claims of unrestricted interchangeability.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is apprise a polite word?
Apprise is formal, not automatically polite or rude. “Please apprise me of the changes” suits formal correspondence; “Please keep me informed” sounds plainer. Courtesy also depends on the rest of the message.
What does apprise mean?
Apprise means to inform someone or make them aware of something. In “The coordinator apprised us of the decision,” the coordinator told us what had been decided.
Can you use appraise and apprise in a sentence?
Yes: “The specialist appraised the ring, then apprised its owner of the findings.” Appraised describes evaluating the ring; apprised describes giving the owner information.
Which is correct: apprise of or apprised on?
Use apprise someone of something, or the past form apprised someone of something. “Apprised on” is not the standard pattern for this meaning.
With on, write updated or briefed: “She updated me on the changes.”
Naveed Akhtar writes every guide on SynonymQ. He is an SEO content writer with ten years of article-writing experience, working on the question a thesaurus never answers: which of these words belongs in this sentence, for this reader. Every page cites the dictionary entries it draws on and the date they were read.