Altar or Alter?

What Is the Difference between "Altar" and "Alter"?

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The Quick Answer

Altar

(noun) (1) "an area of religious worship"

The vicar stood by the altar.

Alter

(verb) (1) "to amend"

Can you alter this shirt please?

"Altar" and "alter" are easy to confuse because they sound so similar. However, their meanings are quite different. An "altar" is an area of religious worship, and to "alter" means to change something. For example:

The worshippers placed tins of food and fruit around the church altar.
Turn this wheel to alter the ship's course.

Altar

The word "altar" is a noun. "An altar" is an area (usually a table) where religious worship or sacrifice occurs. Here are some example sentences with "altar":

The ancient Britons used to sacrifice animals on elaborate stone altars.
We were married at the altar in Saint Paul's Cathedral.
Have you seen the water damage to the alter in Saint John's Church?

Alter

"To alter" is a verb meaning to change something. Here are some example sentences with "alter":

Will you alter this dress for Saturday's play?
Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months. (Playwright Oscar Wilde)
Please altar your claim in Section 9.

Some Images for Altar and Alter

altar in church

eerie sacrificial altar

ladies alter clothes

Common Terms with "Altar" and "Alter"

Common terms with the word "altar":

altar boys
come to the altar
family altar
lead to the altar
wedding altar
witch's altar

Common terms with the word "alter":

alter course
alter ego
alter the dress
alter the situation

Most Mistakes Occur with "Altar" not "Alter"

People rarely use "altar" when they mean "alter." It is more common for people to use "alter" when they mean "altar." In its catalogue, one reputable website calls this piece "Alter of the Hand." Oops.