The term 'HEARD THE ALARM CLOCK' can be solved by two words, AWOKE and WOKE. AWOKE is a 5-letter word meaning to wake up from sleep, while WOKE is a 4-letter word meaning to become conscious after sleeping. Both words are related to the act of waking up from sleep, but AWOKE implies that the person was already in a state of sleep before being woken up, while WOKE implies that the person was not in a state of sleep before being woken up.