assistance and help share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. assistance means “the activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose”. help means “give help or assistance; be of service”. help is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/əˈsɪstəns/
1.n.the activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose
“he gave me an assist with the housework”
2.n.a person or thing that is a resource that helps make something easier or possible to do
“visual aids in teaching”
3.n.gift of money or other material help to support a person or cause
“economic assistance to depressed areas”
| assistance | help | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /əˈsɪstəns/ | /ˈhɛlp/ |
| Said | uh-SI-stuhns | help |
| Syllables | 3 | 1 |
| Letters | 10 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | noun | verb, noun |
| Senses | 3 | 12 |
| How common | Common | Core |
| Synonyms | aid, assist, help | assist, aid |
Full entry for assistance · Full entry for help · More comparisons
/ˈhɛlp/
1.v.give help or assistance; be of service
“Everyone helped out during the earthquake”
2.v.improve the condition of
“These pills will help the patient”
3.v.be of use
“This will help to prevent accidents”