Words / C1

NOHT-if-eye/ˈnəʊtɪfaɪ/

To notify is to tell someone officially: notify the office, notify of a change. Tell and inform are everyday; notice (already in the dictionary) is see, or a noun announcement. Notification is the noun. Do not notify a friend of a coffee order as if it were a statute.

Meaning

To tell someone officially about something.

Examples

• “You must notify the exam office within 24 hours of the incident.”
• “You must notify the exam office within a day of the incident, not in a group chat.”
• “Inform is everyday; notify is the official channel. A notice on a door is the noun. Notice the error is the verb “see”.”

Good to know

Inform officially. Noun: notification. Everyday: tell / inform. Mix-up: notice (see / a posted sign). Not a casual coffee message.

Near in meaning

inform

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