# alert

> English word · Adjective · IPA /əˈlɜːt/ · frequency rank #4,057

## Definitions
1. Attentive; awake; on guard.
2. brisk; nimble; moving with celerity.

## Etymology
From French alerte (“alert”), from the phrase à l'erte (“on the watch”), from Italian all'erta (“to the height”), from erta (“lookout, tower”).

## Easily confused with
- **art** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alert-vs-art)
- **alt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alert-vs-alt)
- **Alex** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alert-vs-alex)
- **alot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alert-vs-alot)
- **ales** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alert-vs-ales)
- **Ayer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alert-vs-ayer)
- **apart** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alert-vs-apart)
- **alter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alert-vs-alter)
- **Avery** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alert-vs-avery)
- **Alexa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alert-vs-alexa)
- **arent** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alert-vs-arent)
- **avert** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alert-vs-avert)
- **aloft** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alert-vs-aloft)
- **allot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alert-vs-allot)
- **Alger** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alert-vs-alger)
- **assert** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alert-vs-assert)
- **ale** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ale-vs-alert)
- **Alec** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alec-vs-alert)
- **acer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/acer-vs-alert)
- **agent** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/agent-vs-alert)

## Common misspellings (7)
`aelrt`, `alerrt`, `alertt`, `aletr`, `allert`, `alret`, `laert`

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