alternate

/ɔlʈə(r).neʈ/

//ɔlʈə(r).neʈ// adj

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

"alternate" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“alternate” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,932. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,932
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Happening by turns; one following the other in succession of time or place; first one and then the other (repeatedly).

Corpus desk

Index EN-alternate · alternate · English

alternate · rank #5,932 · 13 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,932
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH adjusted

Nearest frequency peer: adjusted (-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 “alternate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “alternate” 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).

alternate vs alternator
80% similar
alternate vs alternative
82% similar
alternate vs alternately
82% similar

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

Key facts for alternate
PropertyValue
Headwordalternate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɔlʈə(r).neʈ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#5,932
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “alternate”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).alternatelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “adjusted” (#5,931), “arrives” (#5,933), “ace” (#5,930). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “alternate” is #5,932. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around alternate (IPA /ɔlʈə(r).neʈ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #5,932 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for alternate, with forms such as "aletrnate", "allternate", and "altenrate". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "alternator", "alternative", "alternately", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin alternātus, the perfect passive participle of Latin alternō (“to take turns”) (see -ate (1,2 and 3)), from alternus (“one after another, by turns”), from alter (“other”) + -nus. Doublet of altern; see also alter. The correct English form is alternate, spelled A-L-T-E-R-N-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Happening by turns; one following the other in succession of time or place; first one and then the other (repeatedly).
  2. 2
    Happening by turns; one following the other in succession of time or place; first one and then the other (repeatedly).
  3. 3
    Designating the members in a series, which regularly intervene between the members of another series, as the odd or even numbers of the numerals; every other; every second.
  4. 4
    Other; alternative.
  5. 5
    Distributed singly at different heights of the stem, and at equal intervals as respects angular divergence

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how alternate appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. And bid alternate passions fall and rise
  2. One of the two boxes displaced by the new Pelaw installation will be Springwell, between Boldon Colliery and Pelaw, which has recently had the distinction of being manned by a husband and wife on alternate shifts.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin alternātus, the perfect passive participle of Latin alternō (“to take turns”) (see -ate (1,2 and 3)), from alternus (“one after another, by turns”), from alter (“other”) + -nus. Doublet of altern; see also alter.

This word in other languages

alterno(Español)alternatif(Français)alternierend(Deutsch)alternado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aletrnate
  • allternate
  • altenrate
  • alterante
  • alternaet
  • alternatte
  • alternnate
  • alterntae
  • alterrnate
  • altrenate
  • altternate
  • atlernate
  • laternate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aletrnate2allternate1altenrate2alterante2alternaet2alternatte1alternnate1alterntae2
Edit distance from "alternate"

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 "alternate"?
"alternate" is spelled A-L-T-E-R-N-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɔlʈə(r).neʈ/.
What does "alternate" mean?
As an adjective, "alternate" means: Happening by turns; one following the other in succession of time or place; first one and then the other (repeatedly).
What words are commonly confused with "alternate"?
"alternate" is commonly confused with "alternator", "alternative", "alternately". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "alternate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "alternate" is /ɔlʈə(r).neʈ/. 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 "alternate"?
Borrowed from Latin alternātus, the perfect passive participle of Latin alternō (“to take turns”) (see -ate (1,2 and 3)), from alternus (“one after another, by turns”), from alter (“other”) + -nus. Doublet of altern; see also alter. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Victorian#5,926Catherine#5,943strongest#5,921cognitive#5,946

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

Richmond13 variantsdivisions13 variantsinterface13 variantsmolecular13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list