mistake

Name: mistake, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/mɪˈsteɪk/

//mɪˈsteɪk// verb

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“mistake” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,166 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#2,166
frequency rank, English: 7
letters: 10
tracked misspellings: 3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To understand wrongly, taking one thing or person for another.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

mistake vs mixtape

71% similar

mistake vs mistakes

88% similar

mistake vs mistaken

88% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for mistake
Property	Value
Headword	mistake
Language	English
Part of speech	Verb
IPA	/mɪˈsteɪk/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#2,166
Misspellings tracked	10
Confusable pairs	3
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mistake” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). mistake lands here:

#2,166

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for mistake is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /mɪˈsteɪk/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,166 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for mistake, with forms such as "imstake", "misatke", and "misstake". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "mixtape", "mistakes", "mistaken", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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 mista… The correct English form is mistake, spelled M-I-S-T-A-K-E.

Definition

1
To understand wrongly, taking one thing or person for another.
2
To misunderstand (someone).
3
To commit an unintentional error; to do or think something wrong.
4
To take or choose wrongly.

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).

This word in other languages

equivocarse(Español)méprendre(Français)verwechseln(Deutsch)confundir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: imstake,misatke,misstake,mistaek,mistakke,mistkae,misttake,mitsake,mmistake,msitake

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mistake - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

Edit distance from "mistake"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "mistake"?

"mistake" is spelled M-I-S-T-A-K-E. The IPA pronunciation is /mɪˈsteɪk/.

What does "mistake" mean?

As a verb, "mistake" means: To understand wrongly, taking one thing or person for another.

What words are commonly confused with "mistake"?

"mistake" is commonly confused with "mixtape", "mistakes", "mistaken". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "mistake"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mistake" is /mɪˈsteɪk/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.

What is the origin of the word "mistake"?

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 ear... See the full etymology section above for more details.

Is PlainSpell free to use?

Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “mistake”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is M-I-S-T-A-K-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /mɪˈsteɪk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “mixtape” - see the side-by-side comparison. mistake vs mixtape
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.