Appraise means to assess the value, worth, or quality of something (appraise a property, a performance appraisal). Apprise means to inform or notify someone, almost always followed by of (keep me apprised of the situation; apprise them of the changes). The two verbs differ by a single letter but mean very different things. Remember: apprAIse = Assess and evAluate worth (think of price and praise); apprIse = Inform.
Appraise and apprise are near-homophones that differ by just one letter, so it is no surprise that writers mix them up. Both come from words to do with worth and value, yet over time their meanings have separated. One is about judging how much something is worth; the other is about telling someone what they need to know. Once you connect appraise to price and apprise to inform, the two stop blurring together.
At a Glance: Appraise vs Apprise
| Word | Meaning | Part of Speech | Common Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| appraise | to assess the value, worth, or quality of something | Verb | appraise a property, appraise performance, an appraisal |
| apprise | to inform or notify someone of something | Verb (usually + of) | apprise of the situation, keep me apprised |
Using “Appraise”
Appraise is a verb that means to assess or evaluate the value, worth, or quality of something. It is the word you reach for when you weigh something up, whether that is a house, a piece of jewellery, an employee’s performance, or a situation. The related noun is appraisal, as in a performance appraisal.
Definition
To assess the value, quality, or nature of someone or something; to make a considered judgement about it: An expert was called in to appraise the painting. It is common in business (a performance appraisal), in property (a surveyor appraises a house), and in everyday life when you size up a situation.
When to use it
- Assessing the monetary value of something: appraise a property, appraise an antique
- Judging quality or performance: appraise an employee’s work
- Weighing up a situation: she appraised the risks carefully
- Looking someone or something over critically: he appraised the room at a glance
- With the related noun appraisal: an annual performance appraisal
A surveyor came to appraise the house before the sale.
The jeweller carefully appraised the diamond ring.
Managers appraise each employee’s performance once a year.
She paused at the door to appraise the situation before speaking.
The critic appraised the novel as the author’s finest work.
appraise + object (assess worth): appraise a property, appraise performance
related noun: an appraisal
Think: apprAIse = Assess / evAluate (price & praise).
Using “Apprise”
Apprise is a more formal verb that means to inform or notify someone of something. It is almost always followed by of, and the thing the person is informed about comes after that preposition. It is especially common in the phrase keep someone apprised, meaning to keep them updated.
Definition
To tell or inform someone about something, especially formally: The police apprised her of her rights. The usual structure is apprise someone of something. In passive or continuing form it often appears as be / keep apprised of: Please keep me apprised of any developments.
When to use it
- Formally informing someone: he apprised the board of the decision
- Almost always followed by of: apprise them of the changes
- In the phrase keep someone apprised: keep me apprised of progress
- In official or legal contexts: she was apprised of her rights
- When passing on important news or updates: apprise staff of the new policy
The manager apprised the team of the new schedule.
Please keep me apprised of any changes to the plan.
The officer apprised the suspect of his rights.
We will apprise all customers of the delay by email.
She apprised her colleagues of the results as soon as she heard.
apprise someone + of something (inform): apprise them of the changes
keep someone apprised of: keep me apprised of progress
Think: apprIse = Inform.
The Key Difference: Assess vs Inform
The cleanest way to choose is to ask whether you mean assess the value or tell someone. Appraise is about judging worth or quality; if you could swap in “evaluate” or “assess,” you want appraise. Apprise is about giving information; if you could swap in “inform” or “notify,” you want apprise. The grammar helps too: apprise is usually followed by of, while appraise takes a direct object with no preposition.
Assess / evaluate → appraise:
An expert appraised the antique. (= judged its value)
Inform / notify → apprise:
An expert apprised us of the antique’s value. (= told us about it)
Notice how a single situation can use both: an expert may appraise an item and then apprise you of what it is worth.
Common Mistakes
Please appraise me of any changes to the schedule.
Please apprise me of any changes to the schedule. (= inform me, with of)
A surveyor will apprise the value of the house.
A surveyor will appraise the value of the house. (= assess its worth)
Keep me appraised of the latest developments.
Keep me apprised of the latest developments. (= keep me informed)
The manager apprised each employee’s performance.
The manager appraised each employee’s performance. (= assessed it)
Special Expressions and Fixed Phrases
Several common expressions are fixed with appraise and relate to assessing worth:
- performance appraisal — a formal review of an employee’s work
- appraise the value — to work out what something is worth
- appraise the situation — to weigh up the circumstances
- a critical appraisal — a careful, balanced evaluation
And several are fixed with apprise and relate to informing:
- apprise someone of something — the standard structure: apprise them of the risks
- keep someone apprised — to keep them updated: keep me apprised
- be apprised of — to be informed about: she was apprised of the decision
- fully apprised — completely informed: the board was fully apprised
Link each spelling to a clue word. ApprAIse contains ai and sounds like praise; it is about putting a price on something, so connect it to Assess, evAluate, and worth. ApprIse has a single i, like the word Inform; whenever you mean “tell” or “notify,” reach for apprise. And remember: if the word is followed by of (apprise someone of something), it is almost always apprise.
Frequently Asked Questions
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