alert
a·lert/əˈlɝt/adjective, noun, verb
alert is spelled A-L-E-R-T: 5 letters and 2 syllables (a·lert). It appears 21 times per million words in written English, the 4,076th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, alert means “Attentive; awake; on guard” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in alert?
| Letters | 5: A-L-E-R-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: a·lert |
| In writing | 21 times per million words; the 4,076th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is alert?
Alert appears 21 times per million words in written English, the 4,076th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce alert?
- UK /əˈlɜːt/
- US /əˈlɝt/
Alert has 2 syllables, split a·lert in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-alert.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with alert?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as alert from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹt/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: later, alter, taler, artel, ratel.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of alert
- more alert comparative
- most alert superlative
- alerts plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- alerting participle, present
- alerted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does alert mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Attentive; awake; on guard.
- 2
obsoletebrisk; nimble; moving with celerity.
noun
- 1
An alarm.
- 2
A notification of higher importance than an advisory.
- 3
A state of readiness for potential combat.
an airborne alert; ground alert
- 4
Synonym of bell (“bell character”).
verb
- 1
To give warning to.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate alert?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of alert: BAR.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Alert in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | alerte , alarme |
| German | aufmerksam, wachsam , Alarm , verständigen |
| Portuguese | alerta , alarme , alertar |
| Spanish | alerta, vigilante, alerto , alertar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does alert come from?
From French alerte (“alert”), from the phrase à l'erte (“on the watch”), from Italian all'erta (“to the height”), from erta (“lookout, tower”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).