mishear
/mɪsˈhɪə(ɹ)/verb
mishear is spelled M-I-S-H-E-A-R: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 42 million words in written English, the 199,120th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, mishear means “To hear wrongly” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in mishear?
| Letters | 7: M-I-S-H-E-A-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 42 million words; the 199,120th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is mishear?
Mishear appears about once in every 42 million words in written English, the 199,120th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce mishear?
- /mɪsˈhɪə(ɹ)/
Mishear has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-mishear.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of mishear
- mishears present, singular, he/she/it
- mishearing participle, present
- misheard participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does mishear mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To hear wrongly.
I misheard when she asked for mints, and gave her mince instead.
- 2
To misunderstand.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Mishear in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | sich verhören , missverstehen |
| Portuguese | ouvir errado |
| Spanish | trasoír |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does mishear come from?
From Middle English misheren, from Old English mishȳran, mishīeran (“to hear amiss, not listen to, disobey”), equivalent to mis- + hear.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).