How do you say “mistake” in Spanish? You’d be correct to say un error (a mistake), but you should also learn phrases like ¡Ups! ¡Me he equivocado! (Oops! I’ve made a mistake!), which means you’ll need to know the verbs cometer un error (to make a mistake), equivocarse (to make a mistake), and confundir (to confuse/mistake one thing for another).
Making mistakes is inevitable (unavoidable). You may even commit a cultural paso en falso (misstep/faux pas). With this guide, you’ll be prepared to discuss or apologize for mistakes and misunderstandings, helping you move toward resolution quickly.
Table of Contents
Cometer un error
If you’re focused on a specific error, such as a translation error, a calculation mistake, or you’ve copied down una dirección (an address) incorrectly, you can say cometí un error. This sounds more natural than using the direct translation hice (I made).
- Cometí un error. Seis por ocho es cuarenta y ocho, no cuarenta y tres. = I made a mistake. Six times eight is 48, not 43.
- He cometido varios errores en mi correo. ¿Podrías corregirlo? = I’ve made several mistakes in my email. Could you correct it?
Equivocarse
This can be the appropriate expression for this miscalculation, but also if you’ve made an error in judgement, taken the wrong route, or purchased the wrong ingredients for your recipe. It’s a bit more versatile and can work for almost any mistake in Spanish.
Equivocarse is an example of a Spanish reflexive verb, so you’ll need to include the reflexive pronoun me, even though it doesn’t have a translation in English.
- Creo que me equivoqué en elegir la carrera. Los cursos son imposibles. = I think I made a mistake choosing my major. The courses are impossible.
- Me he equivocado. Esta película es horrible. = I’ve made a mistake. This movie is horrible.
Confundir/confundirse
If you’ve confused two people or other things, you can use the verb confundir (to confuse/to mix up).
- ¡Qué desastre! Confundí el azúcar con la sal. = What a disaster! I mixed up the sugar and the salt.
- Esta mañana he confundido mi vecino con el profesor de mi hijo. Son parecidos. = This morning I confused my neighbor with my son’s teacher. They look alike.
Or try the same verb, used reflexively, meaning “I got confused.”
- Me confundí en la dirección. = I made a mistake with the address.
- Me he confundido y he salido demasiado temprano. = I got confused and I left too early.
Saying ‘I made a mistake’ in Spanish
You’ll typically make these remarks after a mistake has already been made, so you’ll want to use one of the Spanish past tenses. The Spanish preterite tense is common in Latin America, to refer to the mistake as a completed event in the past.
| Spanish | English |
| Cometí un error. | I made a mistake. |
| Me equivoqué. | I was wrong. |
| Confundí (algo) con (algo). | I confused (something) with (something). |
In Peninsular Spanish from Spain, it’s also common to use the present perfect for a recent mistake.
| Spanish | English |
| He cometido un error. | I’ve made a mistake. |
| Me he equivocado. | I’ve made a mistake/I was wrong. |
| Me he confundido (algo) con (algo). | I’ve confused (something) with (something). |
How do you say ‘mistaken’ in Spanish?
The adjectives “mistaken” are equivocado or confundido. Both will agree with the noun they describe in both grammatical gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural).
- Estás en la puerta equivocada. = You’re at the wrong door.
- Tienes el número equivocado. = You have the wrong number.
- No estoy segura, pero creo que estás equivocado. = I’m not sure, but I think you’re mistaken.
- Creo que estoy confundido. = I think I’m mistaken/confused.
- Perdona, pero estás confundida. = Sorry, but you’re mistaken/confused.
You could also use the verb equivocarse in one of the past tenses.
- Te equivocas. = You’re mistaken/you made a mistake.
- Te has equivocado. = You’re mistaken/you’ve made a mistake.
How do you apologize for a mistake in Spanish?
If the error (mistake) is no big deal, you can say a brief, casual “I’m sorry” in Spanish. Some options are:
- Perdón. = Pardon.
- Disculpa. = Excuse me.
- ¡Ups! = Oops!
- Lo siento. = I’m sorry.
- Perdón por llegar tarde. = Sorry I’m late.
- Lo siento, fue mi error. = I’m sorry, it was my mistake.
If you have to make a serious apology for something you’ve done to harm another person or hurt their feelings, you might want to go into more detail.
| Spanish | English |
| ¡Discúlpame! ¡Discúlpeme! | Forgive me. (informal/formal) |
| Fue mi culpa./Fue error mío. | It was my fault. |
| Lo siento mucho. | I’m really sorry. |
| Mis más sinceras disculpas. | My sincerest apologies. |
| Pido disculpas personalmente. | I personally apologize. |
| Pido disculpas por los problemas. | I apologize for the problems. |
Key takeaways for saying ‘mistake’ in Spanish
After studying these ways to talk about a mistake in Spanish, you’re much less likely to make them. Remember these key takeaways, and attend one of Rosetta Stone’s live lessons to clear up any other doubts.
- Use cometí un error to sound natural in Spanish.
- Try the reflexive verb me equivoqué (I made a mistake) but don’t forget the reflexive pronoun me.
- The adjective equivocado/equivocada must agree in gender and in number with the noun it’s describing.
- Apologizing for errors can be as simple as disculpa (I’m sorry) or more sincere with pido disculpas (I ask for forgiveness).
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