mistaken

/mɪˈsteɪkn̩/

//mɪˈsteɪkn̩// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"mistaken" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mistaken” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,363. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,363
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - past participle of mistake

Corpus desk

Index EN-mistaken · mistaken · English

mistaken · rank #7,363 · 12 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,363
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Mercedes

Nearest frequency peer: Mercedes (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “mistaken”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “mistaken” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

mistaken vs mistakes
88% similar
mistaken vs mistaking
78% similar
mistaken vs mistakenly
80% similar

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

Key facts for mistaken
PropertyValue
Headwordmistaken
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/mɪˈsteɪkn̩/
Letters8
Frequency rank#7,363
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mistaken”

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

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Mercedes” (#7,362), “Moses” (#7,364), “Nashville” (#7,365). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mistaken” is #7,363. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around mistaken (IPA /mɪˈsteɪkn̩/), averb. Corpus frequency is #7,363 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Dominant gloss: "past participle of mistake".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for mistaken, with forms such as "imstaken", "misatken", and "misstaken". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "mistakes", "mistaking", "mistakenly", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Morphologically mistake + -n. The correct English form is mistaken, spelled M-I-S-T-A-K-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    past participle of mistake

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how mistaken appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. I'm frequently mistaken for my brother.

Etymology

Morphologically mistake + -n.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • imstaken
  • misatken
  • misstaken
  • mistaekn
  • mistakenn
  • mistakken
  • mistakne
  • mistkaen
  • misttaken
  • mitsaken
  • mmistaken
  • msitaken

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mistaken - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

imstaken2misatken2misstaken1mistaekn2mistakenn1mistakken1mistakne2mistkaen2
Edit distance from "mistaken"

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 "mistaken"?
"mistaken" is spelled M-I-S-T-A-K-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /mɪˈsteɪkn̩/.
What does "mistaken" mean?
As a verb, "mistaken" means: past participle of mistake
What words are commonly confused with "mistaken"?
"mistaken" is commonly confused with "mistakes", "mistaking", "mistakenly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mistaken"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mistaken" is /mɪˈsteɪkn̩/. 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 "mistaken"?
Morphologically mistake + -n. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "mistaken", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Mercedes#7,362Nebraska#7,366organize#7,370portions#7,376

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

Nashville12 variantsgameplay12 variantsdoctrine12 variantsbachelor12 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list