Difference between alternate and alternative?

Alternate (n) can also mean "another option" and alternative (adj) can mean "not mainstream"

Alternate is swapping back and forth between objects or people. E.g. "Charlie cleans the floor while you clean the walls. In ten minutes, you alternate" Alternative is another option of something. "We can go to the park, but if it's closed the alternative could be a restaurant instead" They do both generally only get used when there's two things involved, but sometimes with more! Hope that helps a bit, definitely not interchangeable :) They also are pronounced differently, but hopefully another comment knows how to write with the.. fancy phonetic symbols

They're two different words. Sometimes, native speakers mix them up - especially in American English. 1. Alternate means one thing after another. Something that happens repeatedly, in turn. For example, day alternates with night. In the gym, I *alternate* between weights and cycling. Or "We meet on alternate Tuesdays" (meaning every other Tuesday). 2. Alternative means a different option. When there is a choice between two or more things, it's the *other* one. For example, "There were roadworks, so I took an alternative route to work" - I went a different way to normal. Or I'm cooking, and don't have butter, so "What can I use as an alternative?" - instead of butter, perhaps I could use oil. **However** In American English, some people say "I took an alternate route". That is uncommon in British English, and may be considered wrong. -- P.S. The thing in a car which makes electricity is called an **alternator.** That's because it *alternates* between producing a positive and a negative current, as it turns.