mistaking
Getting it wrong
Mistaking is the act of wrongly identifying or misunderstanding something: There's no mistaking that voice—it's her.
The phrase no mistaking emphasizes certainty, while mistaking X for Y describes confusion between two things: I keep mistaking him for his brother.
The noun form appears in expressions like there's no mistaking.
Understanding something incorrectly
- misconceivingForming a wrong notion
- misreadingIncorrect interpretation of text
- misapprehendingGrasping something incorrectly
- misconstruingUnderstanding something incorrectly
misperceiving · misjudging · miscomprehending · miscommunication · crossed wires · lost in translation · false impression · wrong idea
Causing mental uncertainty
- mixing upMistaking one for another
- misrecognizingIncorrectly identifying something
- misattributingCrediting the wrong source
- lookalikeOne who closely resembles another
doppelganger · resemblance · similarity · twin · double · imposter · misplacement · mislabeling
Acting with clumsy incompetence
- slippingLosing footing unintentionally
- erringMaking mistakes
- faultingAttributing blame to another
- miscalculatingFiguring something incorrectly
oversight · gaffe · faux pas · slip-up · blooper · flub · bungling · goofing
Fooled by false pretenses
- mirageAtmospheric optical deception
- hallucinationPerception without external cause
- optical illusionMisleading visual perception
- apparitionVisible supernatural manifestation
delusion · chimera · figment · phantom · seeing things · deception · sleight · misdirection
misinterpreting
Understanding something incorrectly
- misconceivingForming a wrong notion
- misreadingIncorrect interpretation of text
- misapprehendingGrasping something incorrectly
misconstruing · misperceiving · misjudging · miscomprehending · miscommunication · crossed wires · lost in translation · false impression · wrong idea · misestimating
confusing
Causing mental uncertainty
- mixing upMistaking one for another
- misrecognizingIncorrectly identifying something
- misattributingCrediting the wrong source
lookalike · doppelganger · resemblance · similarity · twin · double · imposter · misplacement · mislabeling · wrong person
blundering
Acting with clumsy incompetence
miscalculating · oversight · gaffe · faux pas · slip-up · blooper · flub · bungling · goofing · fumbling
taken in
Fooled by false pretenses
- mirageAtmospheric optical deception
- hallucinationPerception without external cause
- optical illusionMisleading visual perception
apparition · delusion · chimera · figment · phantom · seeing things · deception · sleight · misdirection · trompe l'oeil
mistakingrecognizing
Perceiving as known
identifying · distinguishing · discerning · telling apart · knowing
mistakingunderstanding
Mental comprehension of something
comprehending · grasping · apprehending · realizing · ascertaining
mistake, mistaken, mistakes, misunderstand, mistakenly, misinterpret, mistook, unmistakably, mistakable