Meaning & use
minor mistake
Last updated
UK/ˈmaɪnə mɪˈsteɪk/
US/ˈmaɪnɚ mɪˈsteɪk/
Meaning
nouncountable
An error that is small and does not cause real harm or change the result much.
Grammar: Countable: a minor mistake, two minor mistakes.
Patterns
- make a minor mistake
- a minor mistake in something
I made a minor mistake in the date, but I fixed it.
The report had a few minor mistakes, such as spelling errors.
One minor mistake cost her a single point on the test.
Word forms
| plural | minor mistakes |
|---|
Common combinations
- make a minor mistake
- Everyone makes a minor mistake now and then.
- correct a minor mistake
- The editor corrected a minor mistake in the caption.
- a few minor mistakes
- The essay had a few minor mistakes.
- just a minor mistake
- Don't worry, it was just a minor mistake.
Synonyms and how they differ
- slip
- A slip is a small error made through carelessness, and it is less formal than minor mistake.
- slight error
- This sounds more formal and often fits writing about measurements or data.
- oversight
- An oversight is something you failed to notice or do, not necessarily something done wrongly.
Opposites
major mistakeserious error
Word family
- mistake noun
- something done wrongly
- mistaken adjective
- wrong in belief or judgment
- mistakenly adverb
- by error
Commonly confused: minor mistake or miner mistake?
minor mistake vs miner mistake
Miner means a person who digs for coal or metal. The spelling for a small error is minor.
Practice
Which phrase is closest to a minor mistake?
Choose one answer.
A minor mistake is small and unimportant, like a slip. A fatal flaw or disaster is serious.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “minor mistake”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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