The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms - mistake n.

1) misconception, misapprehension, error, fault, miscalculation, misjudgement, blunder, botch, fumble, bad move, misstep, slip, erratum, gaffe, faux pas, Colloq boo-boo, clanger, muff, howler, Brit boob, bloomer, US blooper, goof, goof-up, flub: Giving Aston a salary rise was a mistake. 2) indiscretion, misstep, false step, wrong move: It was a mistake not to stand up when she entered. --v. 3) misunderstand, misinterpret, misjudge, misconstrue, take the wrong way, get wrong, misread, misapprehend: The fool mistook my remark as a compliment. 4) mistake for. mix up with, misidentify as, confuse with, take for: In the dark, she mistook him for her husband.