Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

mistake

[mɪˈsteɪk]

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.67 in modern English

Syllables
mis-take
IPA
[mɪˈsteɪk]
13
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To understand wrongly, taking one thing or person for another.

Transitive verb

verb

To misunderstand (someone).

Obsolete; Transitive verb

verb

To commit an unintentional error; to do or think something wrong.

Intransitive verb; Obsolete

verb

To take or choose wrongly.

Obsolete

noun

An error.

noun

A pitch which was intended to be pitched in a hard-to-hit location, but instead ends up in an easy-to-hit place.

Example Sentences

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).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: [mɪˈsteɪk]
  • British English: [mɪˈsteɪk]

Usage

Inflected Forms

mistakes (present, singular) mistaking (participle, present) mistook (past) mistaken (participle, past) mistakes (plural)

Derived Forms

mistakability mistakable mistakeable mistaker unmistakable misfuck mistakeful mistakeless mistakeproof

Phrases

mistake fare mistake windmills for giants and no mistake by mistake calculated mistake category mistake honest mistake make a mistake

Frequently Paired Words

mistaken

Synonyms

aberration bloomer blooper blunder boner boo-boo break clanger cock-up disadventure error fault

Rhymes With

make take break lake wake fake cake sake shake snake jake blake

Questions

How do you pronounce mistake?
The recorded pronunciation is [mɪˈsteɪk].
What does mistake mean?
To understand wrongly, taking one thing or person for another.
Where does mistake come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce mistake

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “mistake”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling ([mɪˈsteɪk]) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “mistake”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “mistake” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.