What's the past tense of "mistake"?
The simple past tense of mistake is mistook, and the past participle is mistaken. Use mistook for simple past and mistaken as the past participle with auxiliary verbs.
Definition of mistake
The Cambridge Dictionary defines mistake as "an action, decision or judgment that produces an unwanted or unintentional result" when used as a noun, and "to be wrong about or to fail to recognize something or someone" when used as a verb.
- The past tense of mistake is mistook.
- The past participle of mistake is mistaken.
Verb forms of 'mistake'
Is "mistake" a regular or irregular verb?
Mistake is an irregular verb because it doesn't follow the standard pattern of adding "-ed" to form the past tense. Instead, it changes to mistook for the simple past and mistaken for the past participle, following a similar pattern to verbs like take/took/taken and shake/shook/shaken.
When to use mistook vs mistaken
I mistook my friend for someone else and called out the wrong name.
The police officer realized he had mistaken the suspect for someone else.
The verb mistake uses different forms for simple past tense and present or past perfect), it requires an auxiliary verb like have, has, or had. The simple past doesn't use a helper verb since it's a complete tense, so mistook can stand alone in sentences, whereas participles require an auxiliary verb.
Similar irregular verbs
Sentence examples: mistake, mistook, mistaken
• I mistake her for my sister sometimes.
• He keeps mistaking the correct answer to the question.
• We should encourage students to make mistakes.
• I mistook my friend for someone else and called out the wrong name.
• I mistook the time of the meeting and arrived an hour late.
• She mistook my intentions and became upset.
• The police officer realized he had mistaken the suspect for someone else.
• I've mistaken her for her twin sister on several occasions.
• She seems to have mistaken your intentions and believes you meant to offend her.
Synonyms & nearby words
Synonyms for mistake
Phrases with "mistake"
an honest mistake
by mistake
everyone makes mistakes
mistake someone for someone else
make no mistake about it
Origin of mistake
Mid-14c., “to commit an offense;” late 14c., “to misunderstand, misinterpret, take in a wrong sense,” from mis- (1) “badly, wrongly” + take (v.) or from a cognate Scandinavian source such as Old Norse mistaka “take in error, miscarry.”
Practice questions: Mistake conjugations
I ______ his silence for agreement and continued with the plan.
She has often been ______ for her twin sister over the phone.
You are ______ kindness for weakness if you think you can take advantage of her.
Do not ______ my quiet nature for a lack of passion.
He often ______ my intentions, which leads to arguments.
FAQs
What is the simple past of mistake?
What is the past participle of mistake?
Are mistook and mistaken correct past forms?
When is mistook used correctly?
When is mistaken used correctly?
Sources
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Harper, Douglas. "Etymology of mistake." Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/mistake. Accessed 28 July, 2023.
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