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Wake up, get up, or awake
Wake up is to stop sleeping, get up is to leave your bed, and awake is the state of not being asleep.
Quick rule
Do you stop sleeping? Wake up. Leave bed or stand? Get up. Not asleep? Awake, after be.
To stop sleeping. Also to make someone stop sleeping: wake me up. Past: woke up.
To leave your bed, or to stand up. It is what you do after you wake. Past: got up.
Not asleep. It describes a state and comes after be or stay. In everyday speech it is mostly used as an adjective.
How to choose
| Question | wake up | get up | awake |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is it an adjective: do you use it after be (I'm ___)? | No | No | Yes |
| Is it leaving bed or standing up? | No | Yes | No |
| Can it take another person as its object (wake me up)? | Yes | SometimesSometimes | No |
Why it trips people up
Three words describe the morning. Wake up is the moment you stop sleeping, get up is the moment you leave your bed, and awake is the state in between and after. Wake up and awake look alike, so people swap them.
How each one works
Wake up
Stopping sleep
I woke up at six this morning.
Waking someone else
My dog woke up the whole house.
A waking habit
I always wake up before my alarm.
Get up
Leaving your bed
I get up at six and make coffee.
Standing up
He got up from the table and left.
An order to leave bed
Get up! You'll be late for school.
Awake
Not being asleep
The baby is awake, so be quiet.
Very much awake
She was wide awake at midnight.
Asking if someone sleeps
Are you awake? I have news for you.
What comes next
wake up, no object
I wake up at six on weekdays.
wake up plus person, or wake plus person plus up
Please don't wake up the baby.
get up plus time
He gets up at five every day.
get up from plus chair or couch
She got up from her chair and walked to the door.
be awake
Is Dad awake yet?
lie awake: to be unable to sleep
He lay awake thinking about work.
Set phrases
Wake up
- wake-up call
- a phone call that wakes you at a set time
- wake up on the wrong side of the bed
- to be in a bad mood from the start of the day
Get up
- get up early
- to leave bed when it is still very early
- get up to speed
- to learn what you need to know
Awake
- wide awake
- completely awake, not sleepy
- lie awake
- to be in bed but unable to sleep
Almost the same
I woke up at six.
You opened your eyes: you stopped sleeping.
I got up at seven.
An hour later you left bed.
I'm awake.
A state: you are not asleep.
I woke up.
An event: you stopped sleeping.
I got up.
Another event: you left bed.
In a conversation
- A:
What time do you wake up on weekdays?
- B:
Around six, but I don't get up right away. I check my phone in bed.
- A:
I get up at once. I'm wide awake after my shower.
- B:
Not me. On Sundays I wake up at ten and stay in bed until noon.
- A:
Lucky you. My kids wake me up at seven every day!
- B:
Poor you. Coffee is your best friend, then.
Common mistakes
Wrong: He was waked up by the noise.
Right: He was woken up by the noise.
The usual past participle of wake up is woken: was woken up. Waked is rare.
Wrong: The alarm woke up me.
Right: The alarm woke me up.
A pronoun goes between woke and up.
Memory trick
Do it in three beats. First you wake up and open your eyes. Then you get up and leave the bed. In between you are awake.
It depends
- Get up as standing
- Get up also means to stand: get up from a chair. It can mean standing up anywhere.
- Wake up, figuratively
- Wake up can also mean to realize something: wake up to the truth. No sleep is involved there.
FAQ
What is the difference between wake up and get up?
Wake up means to stop sleeping. Get up means to leave your bed. You can wake up and stay in bed.
What does awake mean?
Awake means not asleep. It is an adjective: the baby is awake.
How do you say wake me up in the past?
Woke me up: The phone woke me up at six. The participle is woken: I was woken up by the phone.