Letters and spelling

Words that start with mis

Mis- is a prefix meaning wrong or badly, and it turns ordinary verbs into words describing mistakes and mishaps. This list helps learners spot the pattern in words like mistake and misunderstand, practice spelling a tricky prefix, and see how adding mis- changes the meaning of a familiar base word.

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Words that start with mis

Word	Meaning	In a sentence
mistakenoun	An action, decision, or belief that is incorrect or produces an unintended result.	Forgetting to save the document before the computer crashed was a costly mistake.
misleadverb	To cause someone to believe something untrue, often by giving a false or incomplete impression.	The advertisement misled customers into thinking the product was completely free.
misplaceverb	To put something in a place and then be unable to remember or find it.	I misplaced my keys again and spent twenty minutes searching the whole apartment.
misunderstandverb	To fail to understand something correctly, or to interpret someone's words or actions wrongly.	Please don't misunderstand me; I meant the meeting was helpful, not unnecessary.
mistreatverb	To treat a person or animal in a cruel, unfair, or harmful way.	The sanctuary rescues horses that have been mistreated by previous owners.
misbehaveverb	To behave badly or improperly, especially by breaking rules of conduct.	The young puppy tends to misbehave whenever it is left alone too long.
mismatchnoun	A combination of two things or people that do not suit each other or fit well together.	There was an obvious mismatch between the company's slow process and its fast-growing customer base.
misjudgeverb	To form an incorrect opinion or estimate about a person, situation, or distance.	The coach misjudged the rookie's talent and left him off the starting lineup.
miscountverb	To count something incorrectly, arriving at a total that is wrong.	The tired cashier miscounted the change and gave him too much money.
mislabelverb	To put an incorrect or misleading label or description on something.	The factory mislabeled several jars of peanut sauce as containing no nuts.
misinformverb	To give someone false or inaccurate information, whether deliberately or by mistake.	The airline misinformed passengers about the departure gate, causing many to miss boarding.
mistrustnoun	A lack of trust or confidence in the honesty or reliability of someone or something.	Years of broken promises left the workers with deep mistrust of management.
misfortunenoun	Bad luck in general, or a particular instance of bad luck.	Through sheer misfortune, they lost all their luggage on the first day.
mischiefnoun	Playful behavior that causes minor trouble, annoyance, or harm without serious intent.	The twins were always up to mischief when left alone for too long.
misfitnoun	A person who does not fit in well with a group or environment because they are different.	Growing up, he always felt like a misfit among his more athletic classmates.
mishapnoun	A minor accident or unlucky incident, usually not serious.	A small kitchen mishap left flour scattered all across the counter.
misnameverb	To give someone or something an incorrect or unsuitable name.	The museum misnamed the painting for decades before archivists corrected the label.
misprintnoun	An error made in printing, such as a wrong or missing letter, word, or number.	The recipe had a misprint that listed one cup of salt instead of one teaspoon.
misquoteverb	To repeat or report someone's words incorrectly, changing their original meaning or wording.	The newspaper had to issue a correction after misquoting the senator's remarks.
misspellverb	To spell a word incorrectly, using the wrong letters or the wrong order of letters.	I always misspell the word necessary because I forget how many c's and s's it has.
misrepresentverb	To give a false, misleading, or distorted description of someone or something.	The salesman misrepresented the car's mileage to close the deal more quickly.
mistrialnoun	A trial that is declared invalid because of a serious procedural error or a deadlocked jury.	The judge declared a mistrial after learning that a juror had discussed the case on social media.
misuseverb	To use something incorrectly, carelessly, or for a purpose it was not intended for.	Employees who misuse company equipment for personal projects can face disciplinary action.
miscalculateverb	To calculate something incorrectly, or to badly misjudge a situation.	The engineer miscalculated the load that the bridge could safely support.
mismanageverb	To manage or handle something badly, carelessly, or incompetently.	The previous director mismanaged the charity's funds and left it deeply in debt.
misinterpretverb	To understand or explain something incorrectly, giving it a meaning it was not intended to have.	She misinterpreted his silence as anger, when he was actually just tired.
misdirectverb	To send someone or something in the wrong direction, or to give mistaken guidance.	The confusing signs misdirected drivers away from the building's main entrance.
mispronounceverb	To pronounce a word or name in a way that differs from its standard or correct form.	Many English learners mispronounce the "th" sound at first because it does not exist in their native language.
misfireverb	To fail to fire or function as intended, or to produce an unsuccessful, unintended result.	The old rifle misfired twice before the frustrated hunter finally gave up.
misconductnoun	Unacceptable or improper behavior, especially by a professional or someone in a position of trust.	The officer was suspended pending a full investigation into alleged misconduct.

Frequently asked questions

What does the prefix mis- mean?

Mis- means wrong or badly, so adding it to a word usually shows that something was done incorrectly, as in mistake or misunderstand.