Polyglot Dictionary

Irrtum

/ˈɪʁtuːm/

der noun B1

der (masc.) die (fem.) das (neut.)

Underline = a spelling pattern that usually signals that gender.

N Register Neutral Era Current Frequency Common Domain General Tone Neutral

Forms

plural
die Irrtümer

Meaning

  1. error, mistake, misconception

    More formal than Fehler; often used for a mistaken belief rather than a small slip.

    • Das war ein großer Irrtum.

      That was a big mistake.

N Category Thing Concreteness Concrete Animacy Inanimate Countability Countable Scope Individual

Similar words

fehler

Irrtum is more about a misconception, being mistaken in a belief; Fehler is more general, a mistake or error, including careless ones.

Similar in other languages

English

mistake

mistake is the English word for the same thing — both mean "error, mistake."

Practice

1 What does Irrtum mean?

2 Fill the gap: Das war ein großer ___.

3 Which fingerprint chart matches Irrtum?

noun

Last updated