mishear

IPA/ˌmɪsˈhɪə(r)/
KK[mɪshˈir]IPA/ˌmɪsˈhɪr/

mishear — verb

  • mishearpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • mishearshe / she / it
  • misheardpast simple
  • mishearing-ing form
  • mishearedpast participle

1. to wrongly hear spoken words and end up believing a different word or phrase was

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to wrongly hear spoken words and end up believing a different word or phrase was said — for instance, thinking someone asked 'where is the key?' when they actually asked 'where is the tea?'

Example

Minh misheard the teacher's name and called her Mrs. Evans instead of Mrs. Adams.

mishear + noun phrase (a person's name)

I think I misheard the instructions; could you please go over them once more?

first-person reflection: 'I think I misheard…'

Common collocations
  • mishear + a person / what someone said / someone's words
  • mishear + name / address / instructions / lyrics
  • mishear X as Y
  • commonly misheard (e.g. commonly misheard song lyrics)
  • Sorry, I misheard.
Synonyms
  • misunderstand

    broader — can refer to failing to grasp meaning, not just sound; less specific than 'mishear'

  • get wrong

    informal; covers various kinds of mistakes (hearing, understanding, remembering)

  • mistake

    as in 'mistake someone's words' — similar meaning but less common in everyday speech

Grammar Patterns

mishear + noun phrase (a person, words, a name)

mishear + wh-clause

mishear X as Y

mishear (no object)

Usage Note

Often occurs in the past tense ('Sorry, I misheard you') because the mistake is noticed after it happens. The pattern 'mishear X as Y' (e.g. 'I misheard 'thirty' as 'thirteen'') is common for specifying which words got confused.

Common Mistakes

He misheard the meaning of the poem.
He misunderstood the meaning of the poem.
'mishear' only applies to spoken words you hear wrongly, not to interpreting written texts.
I misheard you' (when you simply disagree, not when you got the sound wrong).
I misheard you
I thought you said Friday, not Thursday.' — 'mishear' is about auditory confusion, not about disagreeing with someone.

Word family

  • mishearing
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

'Mishear' is the most specific of these — it refers only to getting the sound of spoken words wrong ('I misheard 'seventy' as 'seventeen''). 'Misunderstand' is broader: it covers failing to grasp meaning, intention, or context, whether or not sound was involved ('She misunderstood the email's tone'). 'Get wrong' is an informal, all-purpose phrase that can replace either ('I got the date wrong' could mean you misheard, misread, or simply forgot). 'Mistake' used as a verb ('I mistook what he said') overlaps with 'mishear' but is less precise about the sensory channel — it could mean you heard correctly but interpreted incorrectly. For everyday spoken confusion, 'mishear' is the most accurate choice.

misunderstand ↗get wrongmistake ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • Sorry, I misheard.
  • I must have misheard.
  • mishear X as Y

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed by adding the prefix 'mis-' (meaning 'wrongly, badly') to the verb 'hear'. The prefix comes from Old English 'mis-' and has been used since early English times to create verbs that describe doing something incorrectly.