What does mistaken mean?
Word: Mistaken
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Mistaken means wrong in what you think or believe. It is also the past participle of the verb mistake.
Synonyms: wrong, incorrect, misguided
Antonyms: right
How do you spell mistaken?
Syllables: mis - tak - en
Tricky part: There is only one s where the prefix meets the rest of the word; a double s (misstaken) is the most common error.
Watch out for: misstaken, mistakan, mistakin
Memory tip: One slip is a mistake, so do not make a second one: the word keeps a single s where its two parts meet.
Mistaken in a sentence
Example 1: I was mistaken about the date; the match is on Saturday, not Friday.
Example 2: Many people hold the mistaken belief that goldfish have a three-second memory.
Example 3: She had mistaken the salt jar for the sugar jar, so the tea tasted awful.
Fun Fact
Mistake came into English from Old Norse mistaka, to take wrongly. So the word really means taken in the wrong way.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. unforgetable 2. mistaken 3. neccessary 4. begining
a) needed, or that must be done
b) having a wrong idea about something
c) so special that you cannot forget it
d) the start of something
Show answer
b) having a wrong idea about something. Three of these break a doubling rule: unforgettable needs tt, beginning needs nn, and necessary takes one c but two s's.
Word Connection
Choose the word opposite in meaning to mistaken as used in the sentence:
Rohan was mistaken about the time of the train, so we reached the station an hour early.
a) puzzled
b) correct
c) nervous
d) careless
Show answer
b) correct. Mistaken means wrong, so correct is the opposite; puzzled, careless and nervous describe other feelings.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
Many people are anmeksit in thinking that bats are completely blind.
a) mistaken
b) mistake
c) mistaking
d) mistakes
Show answer
a) mistaken. All eight letters, n included, are used in mistaken; mistake leaves out the n and mistakes has an s instead.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
I was mistaken about the venue, so I waited at the wrong gate of the stadium until my freind phoned me.
a) freind
b) stadium
c) venue
d) mistaken
Show answer
a) freind. Friend puts the i before the e: f-r-i-e-n-d.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which sentence uses mistaken as a verb form?
a) He had mistaken her for her twin.
b) Her mistaken guess cost us a point.
c) That was a mistaken idea about the bus.
d) You are quite mistaken about the date.
Show answer
a) He had mistaken her for her twin.
2. If you are mistaken, your idea is ____.
a) brand new
b) very clever
c) kept secret
d) not right
Show answer
d) not right
