Word
mistake
Phoneticsmis·take, stress on the second syllable
US/mɪˈsteɪk/
UK/mɪstˈeɪk/
Irregular verb
Forms
Infinitive
mistake
Past
mistook
Past participle
mistaken
In Japanese
mistake; error; blunder
印刷ミスはすぐに指摘されなければならない。
Mistakes in the printing should be pointed out at once. Tatoeba
Japanese from JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR. All sources.
Definitions
01an error
A1 · Beginner Countable noun
n. something you do that is wrong, incorrect, or not what you intended.
n. an act or judgement that is misguided or wrong; an unintentional deviation from accuracy or propriety.
“I made a small mistake in the email, but I sent a correction quickly.”
“The accountant discovered a significant mistake in the quarterly report that required several hours of forensic auditing to resolve.”
Usage
Commonly used with the verb 'make'.
Pitfall
I did a mistake on the test.
I made a mistake on the test.
In English, we use the verb 'make' with 'mistake', not 'do'.
Antonyms
02to confuse one thing for another
B1 · Intermediate
v. to think that someone or something is someone or something else.
v. to identify someone or something incorrectly; to confuse a person or thing with another.
“I often mistake her for her sister because they look so similar.”
“It is easy to mistake the symptoms of a common cold for those of more serious seasonal allergies during the spring months.”
Usage
Usually follows the pattern 'mistake A for B'.
03to misunderstand
B2 · Upper Intermediate Formal
v. to fail to understand a person or a situation correctly.
v. to misinterpret or fail to understand the nature or meaning of something.
“Please do not mistake my silence for agreement.”
“The diplomat warned the assembly not to mistake the nation's willingness to negotiate for a lack of military resolve.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
Confusables
Mistake implies a lapse in judgment or a careless slip, while error suggests a failure to meet a technical standard or a formal rule.
RememberMistakes are human slips; errors are technical failures.
Etymology
From Middle English mistaken, from Old Norse mistaka (“to take in error, to miscarry”); equivalent to mis- + take. Cognate with Icelandic mistaka (“to mistake”), Swedish missta (“to mistake”) (before apocope misstaga). The noun, which replaced earlier mistaking, is derived from the verb. Compare Swedish misstag (“mistake”, noun), Faroese mistak (“mitake”, noun), Icelandic mistak (“mistake”, noun).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
Related words
Idioms
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A1 MoversIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.2.0–3.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 1.0–1.50–23TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.120–224EikenEikenTest in Practical English ProficiencyThe English proficiency test from the Eiken Foundation of Japan, widely taken by Japanese students. Grades run from 5 to 1, with Pre-1 and Pre-2 between them.Grade 3
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- A1 · BeginnerOxford
- Updated
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