Alternately means switching between two alternatives, alternatively means doing something different. > I love pizza and Mexican food, I eat them alternately. Means Monday I ate Pizza, Tuesday Tacos, Wednesday Pizza again, Thursday Buritto, Friday went to the Hospital to get my arteries roto-rooted.) > I love pizza but alternatively I eat Mexican. Means both choices are good, but says nothing about when or the order in which I eat them. Alternately is about switching. Alternatively is about enumerating options.