Error vs. Mistake

Main Difference

The main difference between Error and Mistake is that Error is the wrong action, which is the result of the lack of knowledge or skill, whereas Mistake is a wrongly made choice that is usually accidental.

Error vs. Mistake — Is There a Difference?
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Difference Between Error and Mistake

Error vs. Mistake

The word error is a noun that refers to something wrong or inaccurate; in contrast, the word mistake is a noun, as well as a verb, implying that something is done wrong.

Error vs. Mistake

The word 'error' originated from the Latin word 'errorem' or 'errare,' meaning 'to wander or stray'; on the flip side, the word mistake is rooted from the old Norse word, 'mistaka,' that means 'wrongly taken.'

Error vs. Mistake

The word error is associated with scientific or highly technical terms; on the contrary, the word mistake is commonly observed in casual conversations.

Error vs. Mistake

Error is the wrong action, which is the result of the lack of knowledge or skill; on the other hand, the mistake is a wrongly made a choice and is usually accidental.

Error vs. Mistake

Error is more formal and technical, whereas mistake is less formal, less technical, and is more casual.

Error vs. Mistake

Error is considered more severe; on the converse, a mistake is less severe.

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Error vs. Mistake

The reason for the error can be a miscalculation and wrong judgment; on the other hand, the reason behind mistakes depends on the performance of a person, and they can be self-corrected.

Errornoun

(uncountable) The state, quality, or condition of being wrong.

Mistakenoun

An error; a blunder.

Errornoun

(countable) A mistake; an accidental wrong action or a false statement not made deliberately.

Mistakenoun

(baseball) A pitch which was intended to be pitched in a hard-to-hit location, but instead ends up in an easy-to-hit place.

Errornoun

Sin; transgression.

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Mistakeverb

(transitive) To understand wrongly, taking one thing or person for another.

Sorry, I mistook you for my brother. You look very similar.

Errornoun

A failure to complete a task, usually involving a premature termination.

Mistakeverb

To misunderstand (someone).

Errornoun

The difference between a measured or calculated value and a true one.

Mistakeverb

To commit an unintentional error; to do or think something wrong.

Errornoun

A play which is scored as having been made incorrectly.

Mistakeverb

To take or choose wrongly.

Errornoun

One or more mistakes in a trial that could be grounds for review of the judgement.

Mistakenoun

a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention;

he made a bad mistakeshe was quick to point out my errorsI could understand his English in spite of his grammatical faults

Errornoun

Any alteration in the DNA chemical structure occurring during DNA replication, recombination or repairing.

Mistakenoun

an understanding of something that is not correct;

he wasn't going to admit his mistakemake no mistake about his intentionsthere must be some misunderstanding--I don't have a sister

Errorverb

(computing) To function improperly due to an error, especially accompanied by error message.

The web-page took a long time to load and errored out.Remove that line of code and the script should stop erroring there.This directory errors with a "Permission denied" message.

Mistakenoun

part of a statement that is not correct;

the book was full of errors

Errorverb

(telecommunications) To show or contain an error or fault.

The block transmission errored near the start and could not be received.

Mistakeverb

identify incorrectly;

Don't mistake her for her twin sister

Errorverb

(nonstandard) To err.

Mistakeverb

to make a mistake or be incorrect

Errornoun

a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention;

he made a bad mistakeshe was quick to point out my errorsI could understand his English in spite of his grammatical faults

Errornoun

inadvertent incorrectness

Errornoun

a misconception resulting from incorrect information

Errornoun

(baseball) a failure of a defensive player to make an out when normal play would have sufficed

Errornoun

departure from what is ethically acceptable

Errornoun

(computer science) the occurrence of an incorrect result produced by a computer

Errornoun

part of a statement that is not correct;

the book was full of errors

Comparison Chart

Error Mistake
Error is the wrong action, which is the result of the lack of knowledge or skill. The mistake is a wrongly made choice that is usually accidental.
Usage
Formal Informal
Context
Technical Casual
Cause
Lack of knowledge Accidental
Parts of Speech
Noun Noun, verb
Reason
A miscalculation, lack of knowledge, wrong judgment The performance of a person
Severe
More Less

Error vs. Mistake

The word error is a noun that refers to something wrong, inaccurate, faulty, etc. The word mistake is a noun, as well as a verb implying that something is done wrong. Error is a kind of wrongdoing that is more formal and technical. The mistake is less formal and less technical wrongdoing. The reason for the error can be a miscalculation and wrong judgment. The reason behind mistakes depends on the performance of a person, and they can be self-corrected. Error is considered more severe as compared to mistakes. The mistake is less severe, and people commonly make mistakes.

Error is the wrong action, which is the result of the lack of knowledge or skill. For example, making tense mistakes, grammatical mistakes, skipping any word from a speech, etc. are all errors. The mistake is a wrongly made a choice and is usually accidental. For example, “Coming to this place was a mistake. We only wasted our time.”

The word ‘error’ originated from the Latin word ‘errorem’ or ‘errare,’ meaning ‘to wander or stray.’ The word mistake is rooted in the old Norse word, ‘mistaka,’ which means ‘wrongly taken.’ The word error is a more formal word and is not used in daily speech. It is highly used in technical contexts, e.g., in scientific or highly technical terms. The word mistake is less formal and is used in daily speech. Its use is commonly seen in casual conversations.

What is Error?

The word error refers to something wrong, inaccurate, faulty, etc. It falls into the category of a noun. Error is such a kind of wrongdoing that is more formal and technical. It can be a miscalculation and wrong judgment. The word ‘error’ originated from the Latin word ‘errorem’ or ‘errare,’ meaning ‘to wander or stray.’ The word error is a more formal word and is not used in casual speech. Its typical use is in technical and academic writings. Error is the wrong action, which is the result of the lack of knowledge or skill.

An action is considered as an error or produces an error if it is different from the rules, specific model or codes, etc. The violation of rules in sports or other practices will also be called an error. The term error is highly used in technical contexts, e.g., in scientific or highly technical terms. Like it is a collective term associated with computing and programming. It mainly refers to a mistake or fault, in coding and different processes. The term ‘System Error’ is very familiar to the ears although the word error is not used in casual conversations as it sounds odd.

Examples

  • I do my homework. Error
  • I do my homework. Correct
  • This paper has several errors.
  • He made an error of judgment.
  • I received an error while opening the webpage.

What is a Mistake?

A mistake is a wrong action due to bad judgment, ignorance, or inattention. The word mistake is a noun, as well as a verb. The incorrect or inappropriate performance of a person can cause a mistake; however, it can be self-corrected. The word mistake is rooted in the old Norse word, ‘mistaka,’ ‘mis’ (wrong), and ‘taka’ (take) collectively meaning ‘wrongly taken.’ A mistake is a misguided or wrong judgment. A decision by someone who brought disastrous results would be considered a mistake.

Generally, it is said that humans are likely to make mistakes. A mistake is a wrongly made a choice and is usually accidental. But one must learn from one’s mistakes or try to improve or amend them if possible. The word mistake directs less formal and less technical wrongdoing. Its use is less formal and observed in casual conversations.

A mistake commonly refers to all such things or concepts that are not correct. Furthermore, someone does not commit mistakes only because of a lack of knowledge or skill, but persons with knowledge also make mistakes. It is because they unconsciously do the things in an inaccurate. In such a situation, carelessness is the most significant cause of a mistake. A person must identify his mistake.

Examples

  • Her decision to sell the house was a big mistake.
  • I realized that meeting him was a mistake.
  • You make too many spelling mistakes.
  • There is a mistake in this page.
  • One should not repeat the mistakes.
Conclusion

Error and mistake are the two different words that are sometimes used as synonyms for each other. But both these words are different from one another based on the context of their usage.