# agar vs altar

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### agar
*noun · IPA /ˈeɪ.ɡə/ · frequency rank #28,103*
A gelatinous substance obtained from red algae, especially Gracilaria species, used as a bacterial culture medium, in electrophoresis and as a food additive.

### altar
*noun · IPA /ˈɒl.tə/ · frequency rank #9,562*
A table or similar flat-topped structure used for religious rites.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/agar-vs-altar