Which to use
“altar” is a noun and “alterar” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,615
- “altar” frequency rank
- #10,258
- “alterar” frequency rank
- 16873
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | altar | alterar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Montículo, piedra o construcción elevada donde se celebran ritos religiosos como sacrificios, ofrendas, etc. | Cambiar la forma, esencia, estructura o composición de algo. |
Where the eye mixes altar and alterar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses altar with alterar
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: altar is [al̪ˈt̪aɾ] while alterar is [al̪t̪eˈɾaɾ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16873, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
altar is recorded at frequency rank #6,615, classified as anoun, pronounced [al̪ˈt̪aɾ]. alterar is at rank #10,258, tagged as averb, pronounced [al̪t̪eˈɾaɾ].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 16873, this pair ranks #274,461 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of altar vs alterar
Shared letters: alrt. Private to "altar": -. Private to "alterar": e.
"altar" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC · "alterar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "altar" for "alterar" ever safe?
Which is more common, "altar" or "alterar"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "altar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "alterar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #274,461 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "altar" and "alterar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aligerar vs alterar". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #274,461 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.