Advertising vs Publicity

When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.

Advertising

Top 1,000 (very common) A2 noun

Publicity

Top 2,000 (common) B2 noun

Most common: Advertising

	Advertising	Publicity
Pronunciation	🇬🇧 /["/ˈædvətaɪzɪŋ/"]/ 🇺🇸 /["/ˈædvərtaɪzɪŋ/"]/	🇬🇧 /["/pʌbˈlɪsəti/"]/ 🇺🇸 /["/pʌbˈlɪsəti/"]/
Meaning	The activity of making products or services known to people.	Information intended to attract attention to something, like an event or a product.
Example	Cigarette advertising has been banned.	The company gained a lot of publicity after launching its new product.
Register	Neutral	Neutral
How common	Top 1,000 (very common)	Top 2,000 (common)
CEFR level	A2	B2
Part of speech	noun	noun
Collocations	advertising agency, advertising campaign, advertising budget, advertising space, online advertising	considerable, enormous, extensive, give somebody/​something, gain, garner, surround something, publicity  about, publicity  for, publicity  over, a blaze of publicity, a storm of publicity, the glare of publicity, advance, material, photograph, shot, publicity  about, publicity  for, a lack of publicity
Antonyms	silence, concealment, hiding	privacy, secrecy, obscurity
Common mistakes	Confusing 'advertisement' with 'advertising'., Using 'advertising' as a verb., Spelling it incorrectly as 'advrtising'.	Mixing up 'publicity' with 'public' as a noun., Incorrectly using 'publicity' as a verb., Confusing 'publicity' with 'advertisement' as they are not entirely synonymous.
Usage notes	Use 'advertising' when talking about marketing, especially in a business context. It's appropriate in both spoken and written English, but avoid casual contexts where simpler terms might work.	Use 'publicity' to discuss promotion in contexts like advertising or public recognition. It's appropriate in business or media discussions but less so in casual conversations.

See it in real clips

Peaky Blinders › S1 E1

otherwise we are simply advertising them for sale.

You know, in advertising... I told you I worked in an agency.

Breaking Bad › S1 E5

advertising.

Peaky Blinders › S1 E1

otherwise we are simply advertising them for sale.

You know, in advertising... I told you I worked in an agency.

Advertising

Frequently asked questions: Advertising vs Publicity

What's the difference between Advertising and Publicity?

Advertising: The activity of making products or services known to people. Publicity: Information intended to attract attention to something, like an event or a product.

Which is more common: Advertising and Publicity?

Advertising is the most common in everyday English.

Which is more advanced: Advertising and Publicity?

Publicity is the highest level, at B2, on the CEFR scale.

Are Advertising and Publicity the same CEFR level?

Advertising: A2, Publicity: B2 on the CEFR scale.

What part of speech are Advertising and Publicity?

Advertising: noun, Publicity: noun.

Can you show an example of each?

Advertising: Cigarette advertising has been banned. Publicity: The company gained a lot of publicity after launching its new product.

Can I use Advertising and Publicity interchangeably?

Not always. Advertising and Publicity are related and overlap in some contexts, but they differ in register, how common they are, and usage, so swapping one for another can change the meaning or tone. Check the differences above before substituting.