間違える|まちがえるmachigaeru[3]nakadaka (mid-high)

1. ichidan verb, transitive verbto make a mistake (in); to commit an error; to get wrong; to do incorrectly
   彼かれは答こたえを三みっつ間違まちがえた。↗

   He gave three wrong answers.
2. ichidan verb, transitive verbto mistake (one thing for another); to confuse
   彼女かのじょは砂糖さとうを塩しおと間違まちがえた。↗

   She mistook the sugar for salt.

• Synonym間違うまちがうNeutralMuch the same meaning, but 「間違う」 can also be intransitive for being wrong, as in 「答えが間違っている」; 「間違える」 is transitive only.
• Synonym誤るあやまるWrittenWritten and formal, mostly for errors of judgment or direction, as in 「判断を誤る」 and 「道を誤る」; for everyday mix-ups use 「間違える」.
• Synonym誤認ごにんWrittenWritten language for misidentifying an object or fact, as in 「事実誤認」; common in law and news; in speech say 「間違える」.
• Synonym取り違えるとりちがえるNeutralFocuses on mixing up or taking the wrong one of two things, or misunderstanding, as in 「傘を取り違える」; close to the mix-up sense of 「間違える」.
• Synonym失策しっさくWrittenA written noun for blunders in conduct or decisions, as in 「重大な失策」, also a fielding error in baseball; not for mistaking one thing for another.
• Related失敗しっぱいNeutralA noun and suru-verb stressing failure to reach a goal; 「間違える」 stresses a method or answer not matching the correct one, or mixing things up.
• Related誤解ごかいNeutralMisunderstanding words, deeds, facts, or concepts, as in 「誤解を招く」 and 「制度を誤解する」; limited to understanding, while 「間違える」 covers all sorts of errors.
• Related勘違いかんちがいNeutralMisjudging or getting an idea wrong in your head, as in 「日にちを勘違いする」; 「間違える」 also covers doing or taking the wrong thing.
• Related思い違いおもいちがいNeutralThinking wrongly or holding a mistaken belief, as in 「とんだ思い違い」; close to 「勘違い」 but less common; about perception, not action.
• RelatedしくじるCasualColloquial for botching something, and also for being fired over a blunder, as in 「仕事をしくじる」; about things going wrong, not confusing things.
• RelatedしそこなうNeutralFailing to do something properly, slipping up, or missing the chance to do it; stresses the deed not getting done, with no sense of confusing one thing for another.
• Related仕損じるしそんじるWrittenBotching a task; today mostly seen in the proverb 「急いては事を仕損じる」; carries no sense of mixing things up or mistaking one for another.
• Related仕損ずるしそんずるWrittenAn older form of 「仕損じる」 meaning to botch something, with a classical ring; rarely used today—say 「失敗する」 in everyday speech.
• Related遣り損なうやりそこなうNeutralBotching or fumbling something, or mistiming it, as in 「計画をやり損なう」; stresses an action not succeeding, not mistaking one thing for another.
• RelatedしくるCasualSlangy contraction of 「しくじる」, as in 「試験しくった」; very casual, avoided in formal settings; about botching, not mistaking things.
• Related過つあやまつWrittenWritten language for erring or slipping up, and for unintentionally causing harm, as in 「過って人を傷つける」; rarely used today.
• Related曲解きょっかいWrittenDeliberately twisting what someone says or does, as in 「発言を曲解する」—intentional, where 「間違える」 is an unintentional error.
• RelatedとちるCasualColloquial, mostly for an actor flubbing lines or moves, as in 「セリフをとちる」; also for errors made in a fluster.
• Antonym正すただすNeutralTaken as 「正す」, to correct mistakes, it opposes 「間違える」; written 「質す」 it means to ask, which is not an opposite.

To get something wrong, 「間違える」 is the default. You can also say 「間違う」 for being wrong; in written, formal prose 「誤る」 fits errors of judgment; 「勘違い」 is for thinking wrongly; 「取り違える」 for taking or mixing up the wrong thing; and 「しくじる」 for botching something.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. やりそこなう。失敗しっぱいする。まちがう。
2. 誤あやまって取り違とりちがえる。