What is the difference between 酒 and お酒?


I know that adding お makes it honorific, but I want to know how they're used
differently.




As I'm not a native speaker, my opinion is hardly useful. However, here are
links that probably have the answer that you want:

As per the accepted answer to [using 美化語{びかご} in 謙譲語{けんじょうご} verb forms does
not make sense,
right?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/12891/using-%E7%BE%8E%E5%8C%96%E8%AA%9E-in-%E8%AC%99%E8%AD%B2%E8%AA%9E-verb-
forms-does-not-make-sense-right), your assertion that " _I know that adding お
makes it honorific, but ..._ " does not seem correct. A native speaker
discussion of what is, is not, 敬語 can be watched at
[www.bunka.go.jp/keigo](http://www.bunka.go.jp/kokugo_nihongo/keigo/chapter1/index.html)

As per the accepted answer to [a few words have an honorific 「お」or「ご」 as a
necessary prefix,
right?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/13081/a-few-words-have-
an-honorific-%E3%81%8A-or-%E3%81%94-as-a-necessary-prefix-right)、"酒{さけ}" might
be getting lexicalized into "お酒" for writing. But, saying "さけ" seems not
uncommon (see comments section below). I, myself, have never heard "酒" spoken
without 美化語. Likewise, I've never seen "酒" written without 美化語。 I'd say that
saying "お酒" is correct in any context. Can't go wrong with it.

