► mistakesomething that has been done in the wrong way, or an opinion or statement that is incorrect: The essay was full of spelling mistakes. The teacher points out common mistakes that students make in their writing.
► error error means the same as mistake, but is more formal: There were several factual errors in the newspaper report.
► blunder a stupid careless mistake, especially one that has serious results: In a serious blunder by the hospital, two babies were sent home with the wrong parents.
► inaccuracy formal a piece of information that is not completely correct: The author of the article has corrected several inaccuracies.
► misprint a mistake in which a word is not spelled correctly or the wrong word is used, in something such as a newspaper or book: The magazine apologized for the misprint of her name and corrected it.
► mix-up informal a mistake in which someone confuses one thing or person with another: There was a mix-up over the dates – I thought the meeting was this Thursday, when it was actually next Thursday.
► oversight formal a mistake in which you forget to do something or do not notice something: He wrote a letter saying that the unpaid tax was just an oversight.
► slip a small unimportant mistake that is easy to make, especially in something you say: The president made the embarrassing slip, not realizing that the microphone was on.
► gaffe an embarrassing mistake that someone makes in public, especially one that shows he or she is not sensitive to other people’s feelings: The candidate’s gaffe yesterday on the campaign trail made many women angry.