# bark up the wrong tree

> English word · Verb

## Definitions
1. To take the wrong approach to a situation; to follow a false lead; to attempt to solve a problem using mistaken assumptions about its true nature.

## Etymology
An allusion to a situation in which a hunting dog misidentifies the tree up when it has chased an animal and positions itself at the base of another tree, barking upward at the branches.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/bark-up-the-wrong-tree