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Alternate

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Interactive

Alternate Definition

Click a letter to alternate

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vocabulary

Alternate

To switch between; every other one

Every Other One

A zebra's stripes: black, white, black, white. A checkerboard: dark, light, dark, light. These patterns alternate—they switch back and forth between two things in regular turns.

Alternate comes from Latin alternare (to do by turns). The pattern is always: one, then the other, then back again.

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examples

Alternate Examples

Visual examples of alternating patterns and sequences

Close-up of zebra showing clear black and white stripes alternating in regular pattern across its body

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Zebra stripes alternate—black, white, black, white—in perfect rhythm.

Classic checkerboard pattern showing alternating black and white squares in regular grid arrangement

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A checkerboard has alternating colors—no two same colors touch.

Brick wall showing alternating offset pattern where bricks in each row are shifted, creating staggered joints

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Bricks alternate their position row by row, creating a stronger wall.

Calendar with every other day highlighted showing alternate day pattern, days 1 3 5 7 circled

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Working alternate days means every other day—one on, one off.

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quiz

Alternate Quiz

Test your understanding of alternate in context

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"She alternates between optimism and doubt." This means:

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