3 syllables: mis, tak, en. Stress on tak.
mis-TAY-kuhn
/mɪˈsteɪkən/
mistaken is pronounced mis-TAY-kuhn (/mɪˈsteɪkən/). It has three syllables (mis-tak-en), with the stress on "tak". Mistaken describes something wrongly perceived or interpreted; it refers to an error in judgment or belief. It often signals that a conclusion or impression is false due to misperception or misinformation, and it can also describe an action taken under a false belief. The term emphasizes error rather than intent, highlighting incorrect understanding or identification.
Mistaken describes something wrongly perceived or interpreted; it refers to an error in judgment or belief. It often signals that a conclusion or impression is false due to misperception or misinformation, and it can also describe an action taken under a false belief. The term emphasizes error rather than intent, highlighting incorrect understanding or identification.
"I realized I was mistaken about the meeting time after checking my calendar."
"Her mistaken assumption led the team to pursue the wrong approach."
"The label proved mistaken once the correct materials arrived."
Mistaken is pronounced MIS-tay-kun, with primary stress on the first syllable: /ˈmɪsˌteɪ.kən/ in US/UK/AU. The first syllable uses a short /ɪ/ as in 'kit,' the second syllable features a long /eɪ/ as in 'day,' and the final syllable uses a schwa /ən/. Tip: keep the /t/ clear but light, and don’t create a strong break before the /teɪ/ part.
Common errors include misplacing stress (saying mis-TA-ken) or flattening the second syllable into a quick /tə/ without the /eɪ/ diphthong. Some learners also blend /teɪ/ into /te/ or drop the final /ən/. Correction: keep primary stress on MIS, articulate /teɪ/ as a distinct diphthong (teɪ), and finish with a light, unstressed /ən/ (schwa + n). Practicing with minimal pairs helps reinforce the correct rhythm.
US/UK/AU all share /ˈmɪsˌteɪ.kən/, but you’ll hear subtle rhoticity and vowel quality differences. US often preserves a clearer /r/ only in surrounding words; AU tends to be slightly more centralized in the final syllable and may reduce the /ɜː/ or /ə/ quality. The main difference lies in vowel length and diphthong clarity for /eɪ/.
The difficulty centers on the two-syllable with a stressed first syllable and a mid-to-high diphthong in the second. Students often mispronounce the /ˈmɪs/ segment by reducing the short /ɪ/, or distort /teɪ/ into a simple /te/ without the /ɪˈeɪ/ transition. Keeping a crisp /s/ and the /teɪ/ diphthong, then finishing with a clear /kən/ (or /kən/ with a softened /ən/) helps stability.
A unique feature is the visible boundary between the stressed /ˈmɪs/ and the /teɪ/ diphthong that begins with a clear /t/. Avoid slipping the /t/ into the /ˈmɪs/ cluster; keep /t/ released for crisp onset of the second syllable, followed by the relaxed final /kən/. This separation is crucial for natural-sounding English.
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Mistaken comes from the Old English word mistaken, formed from mis- (a prefix meaning ‘wrong’ or ‘badly’) paired with take, which in Middle English carried the sense of grasping or understanding. The compound originally implied taking something in a wrong way, or misunderstanding. The prefix mis- itself traces back to Proto-Germanic *mis- and earlier to Indo-European roots that convey a negative or wrong action. In Middle English and early Modern English, mistaken appeared in contexts describing errors in thought or perception, often paired with verbs such as ‘take’ or ‘perceive.’ Over time, its usage broadened from literal misinterpretations (mis-take) to more abstract errors in judgment, belief, or memory. First known uses appear in technical, legal, and literary texts where accuracy mattered, with the modern sense solidifying in the 16th–18th centuries as standard English expanded into education and administration. Today, mistaken remains a versatile adjective in everyday speech and formal prose, frequently collocating with nouns like belief, identity, identity, impression, and conclusion to denote error in comprehension or perception.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "mistaken" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "mistaken"
-ken sounds
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