TOEIC Link Part 5: apprise versus appraise

Apprise and appraise are separated by a single letter, yet they name two different actions that both show up constantly in workplace English. Apprise means to inform or notify someone of something. Appraise means to assess the value, quality, or performance of something. One passes information to a person; the other forms a judgment about a thing. Part 5 exploits the near-identical spelling — and the fact that both fit business sentences — to check whether you can match the verb to the action the sentence describes. For the wider set of look-alike traps, start with the commonly confused word pairs master index.

The core rule: inform someone versus assess something

• apprise (verb) = to inform, notify, or make aware. It is almost always followed by of: Please apprise the client of the schedule change. / Keep me apprised of any delays. The object is a person, and what follows of is the information.
• appraise (verb) = to evaluate, assess, or estimate the worth or quality of. An expert was hired to appraise the building before the sale. / Managers appraise each employee's performance once a year. The object is a thing being judged — a property, an asset, a skill, a situation.

The two never overlap. Apprise moves information toward a person; appraise measures the value of a thing. If the sentence is about telling someone, it is apprise; if it is about judging or valuing something, it is appraise. A memory hook: appraise contains ai, as in aim to judge, and it relates to praise — both are about evaluating.

Why Part 5 likes this pair

The pair rewards attention to what the object is — a person receiving news, or a thing being evaluated — and both verbs fit the corporate contexts Part 5 favors.

The supervisor promised to __ the team of the new safety procedures at the morning meeting.

The object is the team (people being informed), and of follows, so the answer is apprise.

An independent surveyor was brought in to __ the property before the bank approved the loan.

The object is the property (a thing being valued), so the answer is appraise.

Spotting the clue

Check whether the verb acts on a person (informing) or a thing (evaluating):

• Is someone being told, notified, or kept aware, usually with of right after the object? → choose apprise (apprise the board of the results, keep us apprised).
• Is something being judged, valued, or measured for worth or quality? → choose appraise (appraise the damage, appraise his work, a performance appraisal).

A quick test: if you can substitute inform or notify, it is apprise; if you can substitute evaluate or assess, it is appraise. The little word of is a strong signal — apprise someone of something is the standard pattern, while appraise takes a direct object with no of. For more pairs where a shared look hides a meaning gap, see the business and finance confusable pairs study guide.

Quick self-check

1. Please __ all staff of the revised deadline before Friday. (apprise — inform, followed by of)
2. The jeweler agreed to __ the necklace for insurance purposes. (appraise — assess its value)
3. Managers will __ each team member's progress during the review. (appraise — evaluate performance)

Takeaway

If the sentence is about telling or notifying a person — often with of right after — you need apprise. If it is about judging the value or quality of a thing, you need appraise. Ask whether information is flowing to someone or a judgment is being formed about something, and the one-letter gap stops being a trap. To see how this pair fits the wider set of Part 5 sound-alikes, return to the commonly confused word pairs master index.