misspeak
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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to speak, utter, or pronounce incorrectly.
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to speak inaccurately, inappropriately, or too hastily.
Etymology
Origin of misspeak
1150–1200; Middle English misspeken; see mis- 1, speak; compare Old English missprecan to murmur
Explanation
To misspeak is to say something the wrong way. You can misspeak by pronouncing someone's name incorrectly, or misspeak by saying something that accidentally offends them. Sometimes when politicians are called out on controversial things they say, they claim to misspeak. Saying that you misspeak implies that a mere slip of the tongue kept you from saying the right thing, and allows you to set the record straight. In the fourteenth century, to misspeak was both "to say amiss," and also "to speak insultingly," from the Old English missprecan, "to grumble."
Vocabulary lists containing misspeak
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“That includes speaking out forcefully against inappropriate statements and even correcting our own statements when we misspeak or when our words are taken out of context,” he posted.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 5, 2023
“I didn’t misspeak with the current law in Virginia,” he said.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 13, 2022
But it is pretty clear he didn’t misspeak — TechCrunch has quote after quote from Mor insisting that Belkin has at least one product on the way.
From The Verge ● Apr. 27, 2022
Mr. McAuliffe also told the outlet he did not misspeak during a Sept. 28 debate with his Republican opponent, Glenn Youngkin.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 20, 2021
A man can live a long and adventurous life without ever being spoken to by Lacey Pemberton, and when that rare opportunity does arise, one does not wish to misspeak.
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
The reaction was over the top, a case of Miller slightly misspeaking, when actually showing confidence and ambition in the unforgiving world of football is nothing to be ashamed of.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2025
“Mistaking someone or misspeaking doesn’t mean you have dementia,” said Dr. Zaldy S. Tan, director of the Cedars-Sinai Memory and Healthy Aging Program.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2024
The king, who suffers from dyslexia, was often ridiculed in the early years of his reign for misspeaking during speeches.
From Reuters ● Sep. 15, 2023
"There's a difference between misspeaking or not knowing something than maliciously lying."
From Salon ● Dec. 12, 2018
She added that “there’s a difference between misspeaking or not knowing something than maliciously lying.”
From New York Times ● May 23, 2018
“Although, it’s worth correcting—I think Mr. Readdy misspoke when he said it was competitive. It was, in fact, not competitive.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Vance’s press secretary, Taylor Van Kirk, told Politico that the vice president misspoke and “must have mixed up two people who have broken the law.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2025
"He never actually saw combat, and the campaign’s said he misspoke," Oliver explained.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2024
In a speech that lasted only six minutes, he misspoke at least 11 times.
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2024
Assuming that Snyder misspoke or was misquoted and meant to say that one homeless person died every forty-five seconds, that’s still 701,000 dead homeless people every year—roughly one-third of all deaths in the United States.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
A different source said it was "clumsy", while another said they were surprised that the prime minister had "misspoken".
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
The White House did not immediately respond when asked by AFP if Trump had misspoken and had intended to refer to Iran rather than Oman.
From Barron's ● May 27, 2026
Others of his kind fail to go the distance because of a detail misspoken or a slip of the mask.
From Salon ● Jan. 28, 2026
But during trial this week, she walked that back, saying that she’d misspoken and that she meant to say all the information she’d received was only unconfirmed allegations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2023
He must have misspoken and said create instead of test.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
