Mistakes refers to errors or incorrect actions, judgments, or outcomes resulting from a lapse or misjudgment. In everyday use it denotes missteps or faults, often implying room for learning and improvement. The term can describe what someone did wrong or what went wrong in a process or experiment, and is commonly used across education, work, and interpersonal contexts.
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"She learned from her mistakes and improved her approach."
"The report highlighted several mistakes in the data analysis."
"Don’t beat yourself up about small mistakes; they’re part of learning."
"We reviewed the project to identify mistakes and prevent them in the future."
Mistakes comes from Middle English mistakyn, which itself derives from the compound of miss- (a prefix meaning “wrong, badly”) and take (to seize or capture). The sense evolved from “to take wrongly” to “to misinterpret or misperceive,” and later to an error or fault. The root take traces to Old English tacian, related to ‘take’ in the sense of capturing or choosing, while the prefix mis- was used to indicate a negative or erroneous action. By the early modern period, the noun mistakes had become common in English to describe particular errors, especially in judgment, actions, or calculations. In contemporary usage, mistakes can refer to both minor slips and significant missteps, frequently with a bias toward learning and improvement rather than condemnation.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "mistakes" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "mistakes" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "mistakes"
-kes sounds
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Pronounce as /mɪˈsteɪks/. The primary stress is on the second syllable, with /mɪ/ as a short, lax initial syllable and /steɪks/ containing the long diphthong /eɪ/ followed by /ks/. Tip: start with a light /mɪ/ followed by a crisp /ˈsteɪks/ cluster; avoid vocalizing the /t/ too strongly. You can reference audio on Pronounce or Forvo to hear natural usage.
Common errors include misplacing the stress or pronouncing /eɪ/ as a pure /e/ and flattening the final /ks/ into /s/ or /z/. Ensure the /t/ is not a heavy stop, and keep the /k/ release clean as in /steɪks/. Practice with a mirror and slowly exaggerate the diphthong to avoid a monophthong. Listen to native speakers and imitate the rhythm of /mɪˈsteɪks/ in context.
Across US/UK/AU, the core /mɪˈsteɪks/ remains, but rhoticity and vowel quality can shift. US tends to reduce the rhotic /ɹ/ less in connected speech; UK often features crisper consonants and slightly shorter /eɪ/ duration; AU may display broader vowel qualities and a more centralized vowel for /ɪ/ in faster speech. In all, the diphthong /eɪ/ remains prominent, while vowel length and syllable attachment influence naturalness.
The difficulty lies in coordinating the postvocalic /t/ with a strong syllable final /ks/ cluster and maintaining the /ɪ/ vs. /ɪə/ quality in rapid speech. The /eɪ/ diphthong requires a smooth glide from /e/ to /ɪ/ while avoiding a prolonged vowel. People often over-articulate the /t/ or mismerge the /ks/ into /ksk/ in fast speech.
A notable feature is the strong, stressed second syllable in most dialects, which places emphasis on the /eɪ/ diphthong followed by the consonant cluster /ks/. While other -akes words share similar patterns (like takes), the plural form uses the same root with a pronounced /s/ suffix inflection, making the MVP sound distinct. The key is keeping the /eɪ/ steady and ensuring /ks/ is a clean, crisp release.
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