alter

/ˈɒl.tə/

//ˈɒl.tə// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"alter" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“alter” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #6,540 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#6,540
frequency rank, English
5
letters
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To change the form or structure of.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

alter vs ate
60% similar
alter vs ATR
0% similar
alter vs alto
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for alter
PropertyValue
Headwordalter
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈɒl.tə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#6,540
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “alter” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). alter lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for alter is 5 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɒl.tə/. Corpus data places it at rank #6,540 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for alter, with forms such as "allter", "alterr", and "altre". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ate", "ATR", "alto", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French alterer (French altérer), from Medieval Latin alterāre (“to make other”), from Latin alter (“the other”), from al- (seen in alius (“other”), alienus (“of another”), etc.; see alias, alien, etc.) + compar. suffix -ter. The correct English form is alter, spelled A-L-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To change the form or structure of.
  2. 2
    To become different.
  3. 3
    To tailor clothes to make them fit.
  4. 4
    To castrate, neuter or spay (a dog or other animal).
  5. 5
    To affect mentally, as by psychotropic drugs or illness.

Etymology

From Old French alterer (French altérer), from Medieval Latin alterāre (“to make other”), from Latin alter (“the other”), from al- (seen in alius (“other”), alienus (“of another”), etc.; see alias, alien, etc.) + compar. suffix -ter.

Synonyms

adaptalteramendchangeconvertdifferentiateinnovatemetamorphosemodifyrevampreworktransformtransmogrifytransumevariatevary

Antonyms

preserveleave aloneleave belet alonelet be

This word in other languages

alterar(Español)changer(Français)abändern(Deutsch)alterar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: allter,alterr,altre,atler

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of alter - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

allter1alterr1altre2atler2
Edit distance from "alter"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "alter"?
"alter" is spelled A-L-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɒl.tə/.
What does "alter" mean?
As a verb, "alter" means: To change the form or structure of.
What words are commonly confused with "alter"?
"alter" is commonly confused with "ate", "ATR", "alto". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "alter"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "alter" is /ˈɒl.tə/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "alter"?
From Old French alterer (French altérer), from Medieval Latin alterāre (“to make other”), from Latin alter (“the other”), from al- (seen in alius (“other”), alienus (“of another”), etc.; see alias, alien, etc.) + compar. suffix -ter. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “alter”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is A-L-T-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɒl.tə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “ate” - see the side-by-side comparison. alter vs ate
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list