Wake Up

Wake up means to stop sleeping, wake someone up means to make them stop sleeping, and it can also mean to pay attention.

What Does Wake Up Mean?

Wake up has three main jobs.

Stop sleeping: you open your eyes.
Wake someone else: you make another person stop sleeping.
Pay attention: you become more lively and interested. Wake up! can be a friendly push.

I wake up at seven.
Please do not wake up the baby.
Wake up, class! It is time to listen.

You stop sleeping:

I woke up early on my birthday.
The dog wakes up when it hears the fridge.

You wake someone else:

Please wake me up at six.
The loud thunder woke everyone up.

Paying attention:

Wake up! The bell is about to ring.

It depends on whether there is an object.

When you stop sleeping, there is no object, and the words stay together.

✅ I woke up.

When you wake someone else, the verb is separable.

✅ Wake the baby up.
✅ Wake up the baby.
✅ Wake him up.
❌ Wake up him.

Past tense: woke up. The past participle is woken up. (I have woken up.)
Wake up vs get up: wake up means you stop sleeping. Get up means you leave your bed. You can wake up and still stay in bed!
Telling someone: Wake up! is an order. It can sound strict, so use it kindly.

Put the pronoun in the middle.
❌ Wake up him.
✅ Wake him up.

Wake up isn't get up.
✅ I woke up at six, but I got up at seven.

Check the past.
❌ I wakened up at six.
✅ I woke up at six.

Sam: Wake up! It is seven.
Mia: I woke up at six.
Sam: Then why are you in bed?
Mia: I woke up, but I did not get up.

Think of up as a light switching on.

When you wake up, your eyes open and your brain switches on.