mistake
Base form
mistake
/mɪˈsteɪk/
Past simple
mistook
/mɪˈstʊk/
Past participle
mistaken
/mɪˈsteɪkən/
MeaningB2
to think wrongly that someone or something is another person or thing
there’s no mistakeing that voice
In use
- Negative · Form 1Don’t mistake her silence for agreement.
- After a modal verb · Form 1You can’t mistake their house — it’s the bright pink one.
- Past simple · Form 2Yesterday a waiter mistook me for a famous footballer.
- Past simple · Form 2Last week I mistook salt for sugar and ruined the cake.
- Passive · Form 3He is often mistaken for his twin brother.
- Present perfect · Form 3I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else.
Watch out
Like take: mistook, then mistaken: I mistook him for his brother. Mistaked and mistooken are wrong.
Same pattern
A — B — CAll three forms differ
Irregular VerbsLearn all three forms for good
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