The words altar and alter are homophones: they sound alike but have different meanings.

Definitions

The noun altar refers to the table in churches where religious ceremonies are carried out.

The verb alter means to change, modify, or adjust. An alter ego is a second self or a close friend.

Examples

• "I feel sure that no girl would go to the altar if she knew all."
  (Queen Victoria)
• "The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind."
  (Lee Iacocca)
   

• The minister stood in front of the altar and told us to get ready to alter our lives.

Practice

(a) "No passion in the world is equal to the passion to _____ someone else's draft."
(H. G. Wells)

(b) "I have sworn upon the _____, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."
(Thomas Jefferson)
 

Answers to Practice Exercises

Glossary of Usage: Index of Commonly Confused Words