Difference Between Awaken, Awake, Wake, and Waken

The words awaken, awake, wake, and waken are all about the same idea: to stop sleeping. But they are used in different ways. Let’s learn about each word.

History

These words come from Old English. They all mean to stop sleeping but have slight differences in how they are used.

How to Use Them

Awaken

“Awaken” is a verb. It means to stop someone or something from sleeping. It is often used in stories or formal writing.

• She was awakened by a loud noise.
• The birds’ songs awakened him from a deep sleep.
• The baby awakened her parents in the middle of the night.
• His curiosity was awakened by the new book.
• The rain awakened the flowers in the garden.

Awake

“Awake” can be a verb or an adjective. As a verb, it means to stop sleeping or to wake up. As an adjective, it means not sleeping.

• Verb: I usually awake at 7 AM.
• Verb: She awoke early this morning.
• Adjective: I am still awake.
• Adjective: Are you awake yet?
• Adjective: The baby is finally awake.

Wake

“Wake” is a verb. It means to stop sleeping. It is the most common word used in everyday talk.

• I wake up at 6 AM.
• Please wake me up if I fall asleep.
• He wakes up early every day.
• The alarm clock wakes her up.
• They will wake the kids for school.

Waken

“Waken” is a verb. It is similar to “awaken” and also means to stop someone or something from sleeping. It is not used as often as the other words.

• The noise will waken the baby.
• The storm wakened them during the night.
• Can you waken him for breakfast?
• The loud music wakened the neighbors.
• The sunshine wakened her from sleep.

Trick to Remember the Difference

Remembering the differences is easy if you think of how fancy the words sound:

• Use “wake” for most talk.
• Use “awake” when you talk about the state of being not asleep.
• Use “awaken” and “waken” in stories or formal writing.

Summary

To sum up:

• “Awaken” is a verb for stopping someone or something from sleeping.
• “Awake” can be a verb for stopping sleep or an adjective for not sleeping.
• “Wake” is a verb used in everyday talking for stopping sleep.
• “Waken” is a less common verb similar to “awaken.”

Now you know how to use awaken, awake, wake, and waken! Practice using these words in your sentences to get better.