Confusing between 2 almost similar words or phrases is nothing odd. For example, you might consider “please note” or “Please notice” to draw attention to an important announcement or writing. However, which one is the right? It’s a conflict of please note vs please notice.
Well, to answer your query, you must learn which one grammatically suits the phrase that comes after these two competitors. Additionally, there are some other situational factors to consider. Let’s review whether you use Please Note or Please Notice in the USA according to your circumstances.
Please Note: What does it Mean?
As it sounds, “Please Note” is a courtesy phrase that people generally use when they want others to pay attention. On the other hand, it also signifies that the reader should be aware of what happened and might need the reader’s action.
Now, the most confusing thing about the differences between Please Note vs Please Notice is that they mean the same but have separate grammatical rules. However, people would like to stick to Please Note more often. This is because they feel that Please Note is enough to draw someone’s attention to a particular subject.
Whereas Please Notice will be more jolting. Well, let’s take a look at how you can use Please Note in a sentence:
- Please note the office will remain closed on Friday.
- Please note what I am going to say.
You can see how both sentences are time-sensitive. However, it doesn’t have to be like that with the phrase “Please Note”. For example, here’s another example: Please note that no returns are available on purchasing sale items.
This sentence conveys an important fact, but it has nothing to do with time. Generally, “Please Note” demands action from the reader. Keep it in your mind while using this phrase in different situations and sentences.
What do You Mean by “Please Notice”?
As you already know, “Please Notice” means the same as “Please Note” does. This phrase wants you to recognise or pay attention to what has been seen or told. Conversely, “Please Notice” might not prompt the reader to act immediately. Hence, a few examples might clear your doubts about using Please Note vs Notice, such as:
- Please notice that the datasets are missing.
- Please notice there will be a test on this subject next Monday.
You can feel that “Please Notice” is less effective than “Please Note”. In addition, the phrase “Please Notice” sounds more desperate compared to “Please Note”. Hence, Please Notice might not apply to every sentence that requires attention.
Noted Differences between Please Note and Please Notice
So far, you have seen how to incorporate Please Note or Please Notice in sentences. If you are still trying to understand the given choices, then we have found the basic difference between Please Note vs Please Notice. Here they go:
- Please Notice is more on a casual note, whereas Please Note sounds quite formal while requesting to pay attention.
- Therefore, you will always find Please Notice more appropriate for personal communication with a friend or family member. However, you can use Please Note in professional or corporate contexts.
- If you consider British English, you will find out that notice interprets a public advertisement or announcement on a bulletin board or wall. On a contrary note, a note refers to something the speaker or writer has to add after the word “note”. There’s a huge difference between them.
- On the other hand, Please Note may require immediate action from the reader or listener. However, the same doesn’t apply to the use case of Please Notice.
- Please Note is often followed by a comma (,). However, Please Notice doesn’t require punctuation.
- People use the “Please Note” phrase to draw attention to a point.
Examples of Using “Please Note” in Sentences
You have heard of using “Please Note” in the USA for business and personal conversations. Since you have covered the standard difference between Please Note vs Please Notice, it’s time to check out a few more examples. Let’s get started with the following:
- Please note the office will provide tomorrow’s lunch.
- We should please note that the meeting will start at 10 a.m.
- Please note this is a blog post.
- Visitors, please note no admission fee is required to enter the museum.
- Please note that the deadline for the assignment submission is the next Thursday.
- Please note the mentioned changes to the office working hours.
All these sentences provide you with the required information. In addition, they require you to act or respond accordingly to the given circumstances.
Examples of Using “Please Notice” in Sentences
Please Notice sounds more jarring than that of Please Note. Still, you can use the phrase for your daily conversations. To make the use simpler, we have provided the following examples. They will explain how you can use Please Notice in different situations.
- Please notice the change in the mentioned date and time on this post.
- Please notice there are still open positions.
- Employees, please notice there will be no further celebrations during office hours.
- Please notice that multiple complaints have been logged about this department.
- Please notice I won’t be here next week to help with that.
Please Note vs Please Notice: Which One is More Appropriate?
Clearly, Please Note seeks deliberate attention or action. However, Please Notice is a bit lighter than that. If you consider formality and politeness together, the use of both Please Note, and Please Notice can be quite contradictory.
People have different opinions about these 2 phrases. Few consider Please Note to be rude and sharp. However, some find it the perfect phrase to draw attention to something, especially in the professional sector. On the other hand, some consider it appropriate for verbal uses, but there are better choices for formal writing.
On the contrary note, people use Please Note more compared to Please Notice. The Google Ngram Viewer has shown the escalating usage of Please Note. Hence, you can choose Please Note as a correct and official phrase to seek attention.
Additionally, you have to be careful when you use Please Note. This phrase requires a comma or ‘that’ to complete the sentence. For example:
- Please note I will be absent next week – This is not grammatically correct.
- Please note that I will be absent next week – This is grammatically correct.
Alternatively, you can just say: Please note, I will be absent next week. Therefore, it’s important that you use the right punctuation or a nominal clause while using Please Note.
Email Alternatives for Please Note
If you have to incorporate Please Note in formal writing, then an abbreviation of it that is N.B will be good. However, you can use ‘please consider’, ‘it should be noted’, ‘please be advised’, ‘kindly note’, ‘please be informed’, ‘please be aware’, etc might work. Hopefully, this guide helps you with the uses and conflicts between Please Note vs Please Notice. However, don’t use Please Be Noted as it’s grammatically incorrect.
