A councilor is a member of a council, such as, typically, a city council (a council is a group of people who meet to make decisions or advise, usually, industry or government):
I will not vote for him for city council, because he is too self-centered to be a good councilor.
A counselor is a person who gives counsel (advice), professionally. There are three main kinds of counselor spoken of in English:
(1) One who advises people about their lives, such as a marriage counselor, or
career counselor.
(2) A lawyer, when representing a client in court.
(3) A person who works at a “camp,” leading and guiding children.
It should be obvious that councilors (members of councils) are also very often counselors (people who give advice), therefore these words can sometimes overlap:
The president was surrounded by counselors/councilors.
However, remember never to use councilor, unless the person is literally on a council.
How to Use "Councilor" in a Sentence
- The new city councilor is in favor of reducing the speed limit.
- The councilor was annoyed that the council did not listen to his advice.
- City councilors are working very hard to save the local library
- Professor Nguyen said that she views the student councilors as colleagues, rather than subordinates.
- Today, the newly appointed councilors were sworn in for a four-year term.
- Councilor Johnson barely said a word during the meeting, which some considered to be a show for the cameras.
How to Use "Counselor" in a Sentence
- When her husband left her, Mary sought out the best counselor she could find to help her through the difficult time.
- Their marriage counselor recommended that the couple seek ongoing counseling.
- I went to the counselor to talk about my anxiety, and it went much better than I expected.
- The school district is hiring more counselors to deal with the increasing number of students who are struggling.
- The guidance counselor was able to help to Lizzy with her college applications.
- My friend is going through a tough time, so I've been acting as her personal counselor.
- The friendly counselor at the job center helped me fill out my resume.
- I didn't know what I was going to major in when I started college, so I decided to speak with an academic counselor first.