Legal Writing

Getting a Raise and Getting a Rise

By Maeve Maddox

Natasha asks:

What is the difference between rise and raise? As far as I understand, they both have to do with an increase, but they are also supposed to be different. Is that correct?

The words raise and rise have numerous meanings as both verbs and as nouns.

Some common meanings of rise as a noun:

“a movement upward”
Ex. The world watched his rise to power.

“the reaching of a higher level by an increase of quantity or bulk”
Ex. The rise of the river provoked concern.

“an upward slope”
Ex. We walked as far as the rise.

“an irritated response to provocation”
Ex. Your last remark sure got a rise out of him.

“the distance from the crotch to the waistline on pants; the distance above the waistline on skirts”
Ex. The tailor measured the rise.

One of the Merriam-Webster definitions of raise as a noun is ?an increase in wages or salary.? British speakers, however, would refer to such an increase as a ?rise.?

Writing for British readers, Paul MacKenzie-Cummins heads his article Get a Salary Rise: Six Tips.

Writing for speakers of U.S. English, Dawn Rosenberg McKay heads a similar article How to Ask for a Raise.

Both U. S. and British usage would find the following headline acceptable:

Experts Predict a Rise in Salaries

Full post as published by Daily Writing Tips on January 20, 2010 (boomark / email).