altered

/ˈɔːl.təd/

//ˈɔːl.təd// verb

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

"altered" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“altered” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,861. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,861
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - simple past and past participle of alter

Corpus desk

Index EN-altered · altered · English

altered · rank #6,861 · 10 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,861
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH algorithm

Nearest frequency peer: algorithm (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “altered”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “altered” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

altered vs alter
71% similar
altered vs Alfred
57% similar
altered vs alleged
71% similar

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

Key facts for altered
PropertyValue
Headwordaltered
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈɔːl.təd/
Letters7
Frequency rank#6,861
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “altered”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).alteredlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “algorithm” (#6,860), “anchor” (#6,862), “aesthetic” (#6,859). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “altered” is #6,861. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around altered (IPA /ˈɔːl.təd/), averb. Corpus frequency is #6,861 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Dominant gloss: "simple past and past participle of alter".

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for altered, with forms such as "aletred", "alltered", and "alteerd". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "alter", "Alfred", "alleged", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is altered, spelled A-L-T-E-R-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    simple past and past participle of alter

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aletred
  • alltered
  • alteerd
  • alterde
  • alteredd
  • alterred
  • altreed
  • alttered
  • atlered
  • latered

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of altered - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

aletred2alltered1alteerd2alterde2alteredd1alterred1altreed2alttered1
Edit distance from "altered"

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 "altered"?
"altered" is spelled A-L-T-E-R-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɔːl.təd/.
What does "altered" mean?
As a verb, "altered" means: simple past and past participle of alter
What words are commonly confused with "altered"?
"altered" is commonly confused with "alter", "Alfred", "alleged". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "altered"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "altered" is /ˈɔːl.təd/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "altered" come from?
"altered" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "altered", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

abandon#6,856verdict#6,855vampire#6,853Bernard#6,871

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

cleaned10 variantsPhillips10 variantsmineral10 variantspraised10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list