Practicing vs Practising

[faustus]

For some reason I've always been convinced that practice works like advice - I advise you, but I give you advice. You go to football practice - but you are practising football. (Are you or have you ever been a practising accountant or a practicing accountant? May be you'll get better. I'd write with an s. You'll be in a practice.)

The phrase in question is "practicing media theory" in the sense of undertaking, using a particular theory - but it just tastes wrong to me. (It's complicating by the need for it to have a second sense of the theory of how to do practice.)


Any thoughts?

Edit: This would be UK usage, in case there's a difference. Google gives Practising over Practicing by only few thousand.

Comments

[sam-t.livejournal.com]

I've definitely seen the verb spelt both ways (although I can't now remember where I've seen each), but if one is to be preferred I'd expect it to be 's'.

However, what usually happens is that I automatically spell 'perform as a profession' with 's' and 'perform in order to improve'

[sam-t.livejournal.com]

(hit enter accidentally)

... with a 'c', then get confused and find some way of rephrasing.

I can look it up in the online OED but I suspect you've done that already.