# mistake

> English word · Verb · IPA /mɪˈsteɪk/ · frequency rank #2,166

## Definitions
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).

## Easily confused with
- **mixtape** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mistake-vs-mixtape)
- **mistakes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mistake-vs-mistakes)
- **mistaken** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mistake-vs-mistaken)

## Common misspellings (10)
`imstake`, `misatke`, `misstake`, `mistaek`, `mistakke`, `mistkae`, `misttake`, `mitsake`, `mmistake`, `msitake`

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