# mistake vs mistaken

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### mistake
*verb · IPA /mɪˈsteɪk/ · frequency rank #2,166*
To understand wrongly, taking one thing or person for another.

### mistaken
*verb · IPA /mɪˈsteɪkn̩/ · frequency rank #7,363*
past participle of mistake

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mistake-vs-mistaken