What Is the Difference between "Altar" and "Alter"?
The Quick Answer
Alter means to change something.
Altar or Alter?
Occasionally, there is confusion over the words altar and alter.Altar
The word altar is a noun. An altar is an area (usually a table) where religious worship or sacrifice occurs.Examples:
- The ancient Britons used to sacrifice animals on elaborate stone altars.
- We were married at the altar in St Paul's Cathedral.
- Have you seen the water damage to the alter in St. John's Church?
(should be altar)
Alter
To alter is a verb meaning to change something.Examples:
- 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. (Oscar Wilde)
- Please altar your claim in Section 9.
(should be alter, i.e., to amend or change)
Some Images for Altar and Alter
altar in church
eerie sacrificial altar
ladies alter clothes
A Quick Test
Beware!
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." Ooops.
"Alter of the Hand"
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