What is the Latin word for mistake?

The usual Latin words for “mistake” are errō, menda, peccō; also vitium, dēlinquō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“mistake” in Latin

errōto wander, rove, stray, roam; to get lost, go astray; to err, wander from the truth, to mistake mendadefect, blemish (on the body); mistake, error, blunder peccōto sin, transgress, commit a wrongdoing; to mess up vitiumflaw, defect, blemish, imperfection; vice; crime, wrongdoing, misdeed, sin, error, fault dēlinquōto fail in one's duty; to be wanting, lacking; to commit a fault, do something wrong; transgress, offend, err

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

mistake s.

error: mendum: peccatum: vitium: delictum: [SYN. in BLUNDER, which see.] To commit a mistake in anything, errare aliqua re, or in aliqua; with accusative of neuter pronoun, hoc, id, illud, quid. To make a mistake on purpose, consiho labi. To make a mistake (= fault in writing, etc.), peccare, delinquere (Quint.). To correct a mistake, errorem, peccatum corrigere: to remove mistakes, menda tollere. To make or commit the same mistake, idem peccare; one mistake after another, aliud ex alio peccare.

Misunderstanding of an author’s or speaker’s meaning, *interpretatio perversa or perperam facta.

mistake v.

TRANS., To misunderstand, non recte intelligere: perverse or perperam interpretari (to put a perverse or wrong interpretation on): aliter accipere, ac dictum est (to mistake a person’s meaning: not to take it in the sense intended, sinistre accipere, Tac.). To mistake anything on purpose, aliquid fallaciter interpretari: aliquid calumniari: to mistake anything in a ridiculous way, ridicule interpretari aliquid (Cic. followed by quasi with subjunctive).

INTRANS., To be mistaken, errare, in anything, aliqua re orin aliqua re: but with accusative of neuter pronoun, id, illud, hoc, quid: per errorem labi: labi (to slip): in errore versari: errore captum esse: falli (to be deceived): peccare (to commit a fault from mistake). To be quite mistaken, egregiously mistaken, valde or vehementer (not egregie) errare: tota re errare or falli: tota via errare (Ter.: ☞ toto caelo errare is late, Krebs advises that it should never be used without a quod aiunt): longe or procul errare (in comedy; also, probe or diligenter errare). Unless I am greatly mistaken, nisi me fallo: nisi me fallit (sc. animus): nisi fallor: nisi (me) omnia fallunt (all Cic.: ☞ nisi erro is not found: ni fallor, poetical). To be mistaken in this single point, in hoc uno errare. I think I shall not be mistaken, haud, ut opinor, erravero.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for mistake?: The usual Latin words for “mistake” are errō, menda, peccō; also vitium, dēlinquō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.