misspeaking
Saying it wrong
Misspeaking is saying something incorrectly or inaccurately, especially by accident.
Politicians often claim to have misspoken when caught in embarrassing statements—a convenient way to retract words without fully apologizing: I misspoke when I said the project was fully funded.
The word can describe genuine slips of the tongue or serve as diplomatic cover for lies.
verbal-error
Clumsy social error
- slip-upSmall unintended error
- blunderFoolish, costly mistake
- flubClumsy error
- malapropismSound-alike word confusion
misstatement · spoonerism · tongue-twister · stumble · stammer · stutter · mumble · garble
gaffe
Clumsy social error
malapropism · misstatement · spoonerism · tongue-twister · stumble · stammer · stutter · mumble · garble · jumble
- speech errorsslip of the tongue, malapropism, malapropisms, spoonerism, spoonerisms