# alternate

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ɔlʈə(r).neʈ/ · frequency rank #5,932

## Definitions
1. Happening by turns; one following the other in succession of time or place; first one and then the other (repeatedly).
2. Happening by turns; one following the other in succession of time or place; first one and then the other (repeatedly).
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. Other; alternative.
5. Distributed singly at different heights of the stem, and at equal intervals as respects angular divergence

## 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.

## Easily confused with
- **alternator** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alternate-vs-alternator)
- **alternative** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alternate-vs-alternative)
- **alternately** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alternate-vs-alternately)
- **alienate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/alienate-vs-alternate)

## Common misspellings (13)
`aletrnate`, `allternate`, `altenrate`, `alterante`, `alternaet`, `alternatte`, `alternnate`, `alterntae`, `alterrnate`, `altrenate`, `altternate`, `atlernate`, `laternate`

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