You’ve had a busy day, and it’s time to make dinner. You’re not sure what you want to eat, so you open the fridge and see a bunch of ingredients staring back at you.

You could make spaghetti with meatballs or chicken parmigiana or maybe even pizza—but first, which ingredient do you grab first?

What if we told you there’s no right answer? That’s right! The key is knowing how to spot an alternate vs substitute in your everyday life. Here’s how:

Let’s define

What’s the difference between alternates and substitutes?

Alternate: A person or thing that takes the place of another, especially when they are regularly repeated.

Substitute: Something used in place of something else; an alternative.

Alternates vs. substitutes words

Alternate means “every other one.” Substitute means “to replace.”

Alternates and substitutes are not the same thing. They’re both words that describe people or things that can be used in place of each other, but their definitions are different: alternate means “every other one,” while substitute means “to replace.” So if you need to take a day off from work because you’re sick, your boss might ask if there’s someone else who could fill in for you on such short notice–someone who is an alternate for the position (and thus not necessarily permanent). But if your coworker is sick and can’t come into work today, then their absence leaves a gap at the office; therefore, someone else will have to step up and fill this role–they become substitutes!

What is an alternate?

An alternate is someone who takes the place of another person. The word comes from the Latin alternare, which means “to take turns.”

An example of an alternate would be if you’re planning a project and have two people who can work on it: one person will do part of it, while another person does another part of it–then they switch off at some point in time. Alternates are also used when we talk about days or routes (for example, driving home via an alternate route).

Why do you need alternates in your life?

Alternates are useful for when something is missing. For example, say you’re craving a cookie but don’t have any on hand. An alternate could be an apple or some pretzels–anything that will satisfy your sweet tooth and not ruin your diet!

Alternates aren’t meant to replace what you really want; they’re just there in case something goes wrong with the original plan. If you can’t find a parking spot near work, then maybe taking public transportation isn’t such a bad idea after all!

What is a substitute?

A substitute is something you use to replace something else. It’s a cheaper, less desirable version of the original, but it gets the job done in a pinch.

Substitutes are everywhere: if you’re out of eggs and need to make pancakes, it’s perfectly fine (and delicious) to use egg whites instead of whole eggs; if you don’t have any bread for your sandwich at lunchtime, try using tortilla wraps instead; when your car breaks down on the side of the road during winter weather conditions and all nearby service stations are closed for hours at a time due to inclement weather conditions such as heavy rainstorms or snowstorms with blizzard-like conditions–you get my point!

Why do you need substitutes in your life?

Substitutes are a great way to save money and time, but they’re also healthier for you. For example, if you want to eat healthier but can’t afford organic produce, look for the “organic” label on non-organic products (this means that at least 95% of the ingredients were grown organically).

In addition to being more economical and convenient than their counterparts, substitutes also give us peace of mind because they allow us to avoid certain situations or feelings altogether. For example:

• If your friend cancels plans with you last minute because she has something else going on (and it’s not an emergency), then simply text her back saying something like “that’s fine! We’ll get together soon.” Don’t try calling or texting again–she probably just needs some space right now and doesn’t want an emotional conversation about why she canceled on you.*

Learn how to make the right decision when it comes to choosing what to use.

Alternates and substitutes are not the same thing. They can be used interchangeably, but they’re not the same thing.

Alternate: alternate (v.) – to take turns with another or others; to take turns performing an action or series of actions; “He alternated between sitting and standing”; “She alternated between singing and playing her guitar.”

Substitute: substitute (n.) – something that serves as a replacement for something else; especially an object or person used in place of another object or person; “A tree was used as a substitute for a pole vault”; “A rabbit is used as a stand-in for hares in some hunts”

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that you need alternates and substitutes in your everyday life. These two words are very similar but also have some differences that make them unique from each other. As we said before, an alternate is someone or something that can replace another person or thing if they aren’t available. Substitutes on the other hand are items used in place of something else when it’s not available. In conclusion, remember what we talked about here today so that whenever you’re faced with choosing between one or the other–you’ll know how!