# I made a mistake .. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 8, 2010, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-a-mistake/531709 "2010-03-08T09:34:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-a-mistake/531709/1 "2010-03-08T09:34:04Z")
…or … I was wrong . Which of the above do you use , when the fault is yours ? Why ? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-a-mistake/531709/2 "2010-03-08T09:37:55Z")
Depends on whether I made a mistake, or was wrong. I bought the wrong kind of coffee, or I drove the wrong way down a one-way street, or I accidentally threw away a priceless work of art: I made a mistake I told someone it would rain today, or I thought I had more money in my account than I actually do, or I imagined I was a great and widely-respected leader of world politics: I was wrong. There are situations where the two terms are interchangeable, but less often than they’re not. ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Mood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@Blue\_Mood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Mood)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-a-mistake/531709/3 "2010-03-08T11:52:04Z")
I agree with **Mangetout** - the two do not mean the same thing. Sometimes mistakes are made, but sometimes not. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-a-mistake/531709/4 "2010-03-08T12:34:26Z")
Exactly. Now, there are some people that won’t admit that they’re wrong…ever. If caught, they might admit they made a mistake… but they won’t admit they were wrong. But that’s a thread about denial, not diction. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-a-mistake/531709/5 "2010-03-08T12:55:15Z")
I don’t think I say either. I would say, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have [action], I should have [alternate action].” ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-a-mistake/531709/6 "2010-03-08T13:12:33Z")
> [@Blue\_Mood](#): > > I agree with **Mangetout** - the two do not mean the same thing. Sometimes mistakes are made, but sometimes not. I suppose there is an overlap - you can be wrong _because_ you made a mistake (my bank account example), but generally, ‘I made a mistake’ is talking about a wrong action, and ‘I was wrong’ is talking about a wrong opinion or point of view. ---
**Author:** ![MitzeKatze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ad7895/32.png) [@MitzeKatze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MitzeKatze)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-a-mistake/531709/7 "2010-03-08T13:40:52Z")
If I am talking to my husband I use, “You must have misunderstood me” or “You are wrong/mistaken”. 😉 Just kidding. I use either depending on what the mistake was or the level of wrongness. If I misstated a fact, then I was “wrong”, but if I substituted salt for sugar or something like that, then I “made a mistake”. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-a-mistake/531709/8 "2010-03-08T13:50:22Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > … and ‘I was wrong’ is talking about a wrong opinion or point of view. Or having a defective memory. I for one rarely say “Sorry, I was wrong/mistaken” if it turns out I really was in a discussion (and I always check the facts afterwards) because I think it’s unnecessary. I merely shrug my shoulders, adapt to my new knowledge/insight and go on with my life. Likewise there is no way I would say “Ha, I told you so!” if it turns out I was right. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-a-mistake/531709/9 "2010-03-08T14:35:39Z")
Just thinking about it… I might also use ‘I was wrong’ in an action-related context where I acted assertively, but mistakenly on something. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-a-mistake/531709/10 "2010-03-08T14:45:40Z")
Guess I have a foul mouth. “Looks like I F\*cked up”, is my usual lament regardless of specifics of the situation. ---
**Author:** ![Rafe\_Hollister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/fbc32d/32.png) [@Rafe\_Hollister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rafe_Hollister)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-a-mistake/531709/11 "2010-03-08T22:50:36Z")
When one of those actually happens to me, I’ll let you know. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-a-mistake/531709/12 "2010-03-08T23:22:35Z")
They are the same and I don’t care which I use. I screw up all the time. The statement is likely to make no sense no matter how I try to state it. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-a-mistake/531709/13 "2010-03-09T01:31:01Z")
I screw up a lot and I’ll admit it if I’m wrong or make a mistake, but I will use “I was wrong” and “I made a mistake” interchangeably. But most of the time I’ll just say, “Oops. Sorry.” Or “My bad,” depending on my level of familiarity with the other person and whether I made a big or a small mistake. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-a-mistake/531709/14 "2010-03-09T01:35:04Z")
> [@Rafe\_Hollister](#): > > When one of those actually happens to me, I’ll let you know. I thought I was wrong once… I was mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-a-mistake/531709/15 "2010-03-09T01:45:42Z")
Huh, I use them together, as in; I’m sorry, I was wrong, I made a mistake, please forgive me. ---
**Author:** ![tacoloco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tacoloco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tacoloco)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-a-mistake/531709/16 "2010-03-09T01:48:12Z")
Most often either “I screwed up” or “that was my fault”. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-a-mistake/531709/17 "2010-03-09T03:33:17Z")
“Sorry, that’s my fault.” ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-a-mistake/531709/18 "2010-03-09T03:45:45Z")
There’s always the colloquial favorite, “my bad”. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-a-mistake/531709/19 "2010-03-09T05:14:52Z")
It totally depends on the context, but generally I say, ‘‘I was wrong, I’m sorry.’’ If it was an honest mistake (like at work or something) I’ll say, ‘‘I’m sorry, I didn’t realize…’’ or ‘‘I’m sorry, now I understand that…’’ to show that I know what needs to be done to prevent the error in the future. I feel pretty strongly that when I am wrong it is important to acknowledge that fact. Pretty much everything to do with my nightmare of a family stems from the inability of certain family members to recognize that their behavior or thinking is not right. I think the fastest way to solve your own problems is acknowledge when you’re the one screwing up. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-a-mistake/531709/20 "2010-03-09T12:34:34Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > There’s always the colloquial favorite, “my bad”. Ugh… I hate “my bad.” I can’t hear it without hearing Alicia Silverstone’s annoying voice cooing “my bad!” as she hits things with her car. It gives me the nails on a chalkboard willies. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-a-mistake/531709.md?page=2)