TOEIC Link Part 5: council versus counsel
Council and counsel are pronounced the same, but they belong to different parts of a sentence. Council is always a noun naming a group of people who meet to govern or advise. Counsel is either a noun meaning advice or a verb meaning to advise, and in business English it is also the standard word for a lawyer. Part 5 rewards you for noticing whether the blank names a body of people or a piece of guidance. For the wider set of look-alike traps, start with the commonly confused word pairs master index.
The core rule: a group of people versus advice
- council (noun) = an assembled group that meets to decide, govern, or advise. The city council approved the budget. / She was elected to the advisory council. It answers who is the body? — a council has members, holds meetings, and votes. Think of the -cil ending as sitting in a counc-il room full of chairs.
- counsel (noun or verb) = advice, or the act of advising; also a lawyer acting for a client. The manager offered wise counsel to the new hire. (advice) / A mentor should counsel, not command. (verb) / The company retained outside counsel. (lawyer). It answers what guidance was given? — the -sel ending links to counsel that you sell as expertise.
A useful anchor: a council is made of people (it can be crowded); counsel is made of words (it can be sound, legal, or wise). The city council can seek legal counsel — one is the group, the other is the advice.
Why Part 5 likes this pair
Both words follow "the" and both belong in formal, corporate sentences, so the pair tests whether you match the blank to a countable body or to abstract guidance.
The board sought outside legal __ before signing the merger.
Legal advice from a lawyer is counsel.
The town __ will vote on the zoning change next week.
A body that votes is a council.
Spotting the clue
Look at what the sentence says the word does, then decide whether it is a group or guidance:
- Does it meet, vote, elect members, or govern? → choose council (the student council, a governing council).
- Does it mean advice, or does someone give / seek / offer it, or is it a lawyer? → choose counsel (wise counsel, to counsel a client, general counsel).
A quick test: can you replace the word with "committee"? Then it is a council. Can you replace it with "advice" or "advise"? Then it is counsel. If a lawyer could be meant — general counsel, defense counsel — it is always counsel. When the sentence names a body that acts together, lean council; when it names the guidance or the adviser, lean counsel. For more pairs where a shared sound hides a meaning gap, see the business and finance confusable pairs study guide.