Appear vs They come to be woken up

When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.

Appear

Top 1,000 (very common)A2

They come to be woken up

Top 5,000 (fairly common)
Most common: Appear
 AppearThey come to be woken up
Pronunciation🇬🇧 /["/əˈpɪə(r)/","/əˈpɪəz/","/əˈpɪəd/","/əˈpɪərɪŋ/"]/🇺🇸 /["/əˈpɪr/","/əˈpɪrz/","/əˈpɪrd/","/əˈpɪrɪŋ/"]/🇬🇧 //ðeɪ kʌm tə bi ˈwəʊkən ʌp//🇺🇸 //ðeɪ kʌm tə bi ˈwoʊkən ʌp//
Meaningto come into view or be seenThey arrive to be awakened.
ExampleShe decided to appear in the school play this year.They come to be woken up by the sound of birds chirping.
RegisterNeutralNeutral
How commonTop 1,000 (very common)Top 5,000 (fairly common)
CEFR levelA2-
Collocationssuddenly, from nowhere, magically, suddenly, from nowhere, magically, currently, frequently, occasionally, at, appear on television, at, appear before a court, appear before a judge, appear before a magistratebe woken up, come back to sleep, come to attention
Antonymsdisappear, vanish, fade-
Common mistakesUsing 'appear' with a noun directly, instead of an adjective., Confusing 'appear' with 'disappear'., Misusing 'appear' in the past tense or perfect forms.Confusing 'come' with 'came'., Using 'wake' instead of 'woken'., Misplacing 'to be' in the phrase.
Usage notesUse 'appear' to describe how something looks or becomes visible. It's suitable for both spoken and written English but avoid in very casual contexts. 'Seem' can sometimes be used interchangeably, but 'appear' is more about visual presence.Use in informal contexts to describe people being awakened; avoid in formal writing.

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Appear
They come to be woken up

Frequently asked questions: Appear vs They come to be woken up

What's the difference between Appear and They come to be woken up?

Appear: to come into view or be seen They come to be woken up: They arrive to be awakened.

Which is more common: Appear and They come to be woken up?

Appear is the most common in everyday English.

Can you show an example of each?

Appear: She decided to appear in the school play this year. They come to be woken up: They come to be woken up by the sound of birds chirping.

Can I use Appear and They come to be woken up interchangeably?

Not always. Appear and They come to be woken up are related and overlap in some contexts, but they differ in register, how common they are, and usage, so swapping one for another can change the meaning or tone. Check the differences above before substituting.

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