Prefix · error / incorrectly
Signals doing something incorrectly or badly: misunderstand, mislead, misspell, mistake.
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
Mis- signals that an action was done incorrectly, badly, or in error. With verbs it always points to a failure in execution: misunderstand, misspell, misuse, miscalculate, mislead. The root never changes; mis- is simply added in front of it.
Mis- also attaches to nouns to describe something done incorrectly: misuse (noun = wrong use), mistake (a wrong taking/choice), misinformation (false information), misconduct (bad behaviour). This makes mis- especially versatile: you can describe both the wrong action (verb) and the result of that wrong action (noun).
Attaches directly to verbs and nouns with no spelling change:
The root never changes, even when it starts with s: misspell (double s). Pronunciation: /mɪs/, with a short "i" as in "this".
mis-/mɪs/
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When mis- precedes a root starting with "s," both letters are kept: mis- + spell = misspell. This is itself one of the most commonly misspelled words in English.
"There was a misunderstanding" is often used diplomatically to describe what was actually a significant conflict or disagreement, not just a small confusion.
A trick to remember it
Mis- = "wrong" attached to an action. If you know the root, add mis- to say it was done badly: misunderstand = understand wrongly, misspell = spell wrongly, misuse = use wrongly. Watch the double "s" in misspell.
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
"The ad was accused of ___ing consumers about the product's real performance."
Exercise 3 · Pick the right one
Which sentence uses "misunderstanding" correctly?
The prefix mis- signals doing something incorrectly or badly: misunderstand, mislead, misspell, mistake. In Spanish it usually maps to mal- / equivocad-.
The prefix mis- is pronounced /mɪs/. For example, "misunderstand".
"understand" becomes "misunderstand". It is a typical example of the mis- prefix.
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