misidentifications
Errors in recognition
Misidentifications are instances of identifying something or someone incorrectly.
The term appears most often in contexts where accuracy matters—criminal justice, scientific research, medical diagnosis: Eyewitness misidentifications remain a leading cause of wrongful convictions.
A misidentification may be an honest mistake or a careless error.
Serious mistakes from carelessness
- oversightsFailures to notice
- inaccuraciesDepartures from correctness
- discrepanciesDifferences where agreement expected
- misconceptionsIncorrect assumptions held true
misinterpretations · misreports · misstatements · miscalculations · misjudgments · mix-ups · false positives · false negatives
Erroneous categorical assignment
- miscategorizationIncorrect sorting or grouping
- mislabelingIncorrect identification marking
- false positivesIncorrect affirmative test results
- false negativesIncorrectly negative results
One who saw events
- lineupOrdered list of participants
- false positivesIncorrect affirmative test results
- suspectBelieve to be likely
- alibiDefense of location
evidence · wrongful conviction · DNA · fingerprint · facial recognition · composite sketch · mugshot · police investigation
Ghostly identical strangers
- lookalikesNear-identical in appearance
- twinsSiblings born simultaneously
- doublesPairs or stand-ins
- confusionMental disorientation or bewilderment
mix-ups · resemblance · similarity · dead ringers · body doubles · stunt doubles · uncanny resemblance
Those falsely claiming identity
- fraudsDeceptive acts or impostors
- forgeriesFraudulent imitations of originals
- counterfeitsFraudulent imitations of valuables
- fakesFraudulent imitations
phonies · charlatans · pretenders · shams · hoaxes · swindlers · aliases · masquerades
blunders
Serious mistakes from carelessness
- oversightsFailures to notice
- inaccuraciesDepartures from correctness
- discrepanciesDifferences where agreement expected
misconceptions · misinterpretations · misreports · misstatements · miscalculations · misjudgments · mix-ups · false positives · false negatives · mislabeling
misclassification
Erroneous categorical assignment
- miscategorizationIncorrect sorting or grouping
- mislabelingIncorrect identification marking
- false positivesIncorrect affirmative test results
false negatives · misattribution · contamination · misdiagnosis
eyewitness
One who saw events
- lineupOrdered list of participants
- false positivesIncorrect affirmative test results
- suspectBelieve to be likely
alibi · evidence · wrongful conviction · DNA · fingerprint · facial recognition · composite sketch · mugshot · police investigation · witness testimony
doppelgangers
Ghostly identical strangers
- lookalikesNear-identical in appearance
- twinsSiblings born simultaneously
- doublesPairs or stand-ins
confusion · mix-ups · resemblance · similarity · dead ringers · body doubles · stunt doubles · uncanny resemblance
impostors
Those falsely claiming identity
- fraudsDeceptive acts or impostors
- forgeriesFraudulent imitations of originals
- counterfeitsFraudulent imitations of valuables
fakes · phonies · charlatans · pretenders · shams · hoaxes · swindlers · aliases · masquerades · decoys