Err — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

to make a mistake or be incorrect

wander from a direct course or at random

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/ˈɛɹ/

🇬🇧British English

/ˈɜːɹ/

🇮🇳Indian English

/ˈɜːɹ/

1 syllable Say it as /ˈɛɹ/.

Examples

The child strayed from the path and her parents lost sight of her
don't drift from the set course

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

stray slip drift mistake

Parts of Speech

verb	to make a mistake or be incorrect
verb	wander from a direct course or at random “The child strayed from the path and her parents lost sight of her”

Word Forms

errancy	noun	fallibility as indicated by erring or a tendency to err
error	noun	inadvertent incorrectness
mistake	noun	part of a statement that is not correct
slip	noun	a minor inadvertent mistake usually observed in speech or writing or in small accidents or memory lapses etc.
strayer	noun	someone who strays or falls behind
errant	adjective	uncontrolled motion that is irregular or unpredictable
driftage	noun	the deviation (by a vessel or aircraft) from its intended course due to drifting
drift	noun	the gradual departure from an intended course due to external influences (as a ship or plane)
drifting	noun	aimless wandering from place to place

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

ähm

einen Fehler machen oder falsch liegen

🇫🇷French

se tromper

faire une erreur ou se tromper

🇪🇸Spanish

errar

cometer un error o ser incorrecto

🇮🇹Italian

errare

commettere un errore o essere scorretto

🇳🇱Dutch

fout

een fout maken of onjuist zijn

🇵🇹Portuguese

errar

cometer um erro ou estar incorreto

🇷🇺Russian

ошибаться

ошибиться или быть неверным

India

🇮🇳Hindi

ग़लती होना

गलती करना या गलत होना

🇧🇩Bengali

ভুল

ভুল করা বা ভুল হওয়া

🇮🇳Tamil

தவறு

தவறு செய்ய அல்லது தவறாக இருக்க

🇮🇳Telugu

తప్పు

తప్పు చేయడం లేదా తప్పు చేయడం

🇮🇳Marathi

चूक

चूक करणे किंवा चुकीचे असणे

🇮🇳Gujarati

ભૂલ

ભૂલ કરવી અથવા ખોટું કરવું

🇮🇳Kannada

ತಪ್ಪು

ತಪ್ಪು ಮಾಡಲು ಅಥವಾ ತಪ್ಪಾಗಿರಲು

🇮🇳Malayalam

തെറ്റ്

ഒരു തെറ്റ് അല്ലെങ്കിൽ തെറ്റ് ചെയ്യാൻ

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਗਲਤੀ

ਗਲਤੀ ਕਰਨ ਜਾਂ ਗਲਤ ਹੋਣ ਲਈ

🇵🇰Urdu

غلطی

غلطی کرنا یا غلط ہونا

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

犯错

犯错误或不正确

🇯🇵Japanese

エラー

間違いをする、または間違っている

🇰🇷Korean

실수

실수를 하거나 부정확하게 하다

🇻🇳Vietnamese

lỗi

phạm sai lầm hoặc không chính xác

🇹🇭Thai

ผิดพลาด

เพื่อทำผิดพลาดหรือไม่ถูกต้อง

🇮🇩Indonesian

berbuat salah

untuk membuat kesalahan atau tidak benar

🇵🇭Filipino

magkamali

magkamali o magkamali

🇲🇾Malay

silap

untuk membuat kesilapan atau tidak betul

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

يخطئ

لارتكاب خطأ أو أن تكون غير صحيحة

🇮🇷Persian

اشتباه کن

اشتباه کردن یا نادرست بودن

🇹🇷Turkish

hata

hata yapmak veya hatalı olmak

🇮🇱Hebrew

לִטְעוֹת

לעשות טעות או להיות שגוי

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'err'?

The primary meaning of 'err' is 'to make a mistake or be incorrect'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'err' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'err' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'err' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'err' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'err' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'err' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'err' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'err' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'err' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'err' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted