mistake for

IPA/mɪstˈeɪk fɔː/
IPA/mɪstˈeɪk fɔːɹ/

mistake for — phrasal verb

  • mistake forbase form
  • mistakes for3rd person singular
  • mistaking for-ing form
  • mistook forpast simple
  • mistaken forpast participle

1. to see, hear, or notice one person or thing and believe it is a different one, u

1.phrasal verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to see, hear, or notice one person or thing and believe it is a different one, usually because the two look or sound alike

Example

Tamás mistook a stranger for his cousin because both wore red jackets.

mistake + noun + for + noun: confusing one person with another

Emily mistook the salt for sugar and put a spoonful in her tea by accident.

Common collocations
  • mistake someone for someone else
  • mistake something for something else
  • easily mistaken for
  • often mistaken for
Synonyms
  • confuse with

    More general — 'confuse with' can refer to mixing up two things mentally, not just perceptually

  • mix up with

    Informal; suggests carelessness rather than a natural resemblance

Antonyms
  • tell apart from

    Describes the ability to see the difference between two similar people or things

  • distinguish from

    More formal; focuses on noticing the features that make each one unique

Grammar Patterns

mistake + noun/pro noun + for + noun/pro noun

Usage Note

Always followed by 'for'. The noun phrase after 'for' names the person or thing that the subject wrongly believes the first object to be. This sense typically describes a perceptual mistake — seeing, hearing, or otherwise sensing one thing and thinking it is something else. Some sources, including Cambridge, classify this expression as a fixed idiom due to its inseparable structure and the mandatory 'for' complement.

Common Mistakes

I mistook him as my brother.
I mistook him for my brother.
The correct preposition after 'mistake' in this expression is always 'for', never 'as'.
She mistook to call the wrong person.
She mistook a stranger for her friend.
'mistake for' follows the pattern 'mistake + noun + for + noun'; it does not take a to-infinitive.

2. to incorrectly believe that a person or thing has a particular quality, role, or

2.phrasal verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to incorrectly believe that a person or thing has a particular quality, role, or intention that they do not actually have — for example, mistaking someone's shyness for rudeness, or their silence for disagreement

Example

Quan mistook his manager's silence for anger, but she was only thinking about the budget.

mistake + abstract noun + for + abstract quality

Eve mistook the new student's quiet manner for shyness, but he was a confident speaker.

Common collocations
  • mistake kindness for weakness
  • mistake silence for agreement
  • mistake confidence for arrogance
  • mistake shyness for rudeness
  • mistake politeness for interest
Synonyms
  • take for

    Very similar in meaning; 'take for' is slightly more informal and is common in spoken English ('What do you take me for?')

  • misread

    Emphasises interpreting someone's signals incorrectly; less common with concrete objects

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

mistake + noun + for + noun (abstract quality or role)

Usage Note

Always followed by 'for'. The object after 'for' in this sense is often an abstract noun describing a quality, emotion, or intention (e.g. 'anger', 'shyness', 'arrogance', 'spam'). Unlike sense 1, this sense focuses on a mental judgment error rather than a sensory confusion.

Common Mistakes

Don't mistake me.' (without 'for')
Don't mistake me for someone who gives up easily.
The 'for' phrase is required to complete the meaning of this expression.
I mistook that he was angry.
I mistook his silence for anger.
'mistake for' requires a noun phrase after both the verb and 'for'; it does not take a that-clause.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: phrasal verb/1

These four expressions all describe getting something wrong about a person or thing, but they differ in how the mistake happens and how formal they sound. 'Confuse with' is the broadest term — you can confuse two names, two dates, or two people, and it does not require a visual trigger. 'Mix up with' is informal and suggests a careless error, like mixing up two students' exam papers. 'Take for' is very close to 'mistake for' in sense 2 (wrongly identifying a quality or role), but it is more common in spoken retorts ('What do you take me for?'). 'Misread' focuses on interpreting a situation, signal, or emotion incorrectly — you misread someone's tone, not their appearance. For example: 'I confused the two streets and got lost.' vs 'I misread her tone as sarcasm.' vs 'Don't take me for a fool.'

confuse withmix up with ↗take formisread ↗

Etymology

Old NorseMiddle EnglishEnglish

The verb 'mistake' entered Middle English from Old Norse 'mistaka', meaning 'to take wrongly', where 'mis-' meant 'wrongly' and 'taka' meant 'take'. The preposition 'for' has been used since Old English to indicate the thing something is exchanged or confused with. By the 1300s, 'mistaken for' was in use with the sense 'to take one person or thing for another in error'. Over time the expression became a fixed phrasal verb inseparable from its 'for' complement.