Word
mislead
Phoneticsmis·lead, stress on the second syllable
US/mɪˈsɫid/
UK/mɪslˈiːd/
Irregular verb
Forms
Infinitive
mislead
Past
misled
Past participle
misled
Definitions
01to deceive or give a false impression
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to make someone believe something that is not true, often by giving them incomplete information.
v. to cause someone to form an incorrect opinion or belief, whether through deliberate deception or unintentional ambiguity.
“The company was accused of trying to mislead customers about the price of the service.”
“The witness was careful not to mislead the jury, though his testimony omitted several key details that might have changed their perspective.”
Synonyms
02to lead in the wrong direction
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to guide someone to the wrong place or make them go the wrong way.
v. to lead astray or in a false direction, either physically or metaphorically.
“The old map misled us, and we ended up miles away from the hotel.”
“The poorly marked trail misled the hikers into a dangerous ravine, requiring a rescue team to locate them after dark.”
Synonyms
Usage
The verb is transitive and takes a direct object; often used in the passive voice ('be misled').
Pitfall
he misledded me
he misled me
Mislead is an irregular verb; the past tense and past participle form is 'misled', not 'misledded'.
Real-World Examples
“The US midterm election campaign has been filled with political ads featuring AI deep fakes that can mislead voters.” “The first covers the biases and mental shortcuts that can mislead us.” “But the “s” at the end often misleads writers.” Etymology
From Middle English mysleden, from Old English mislǣdan (“to mislead”), from Proto-Germanic *missalaidijaną (“to mislead”). By surface analysis, mis- + lead.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
ADJECTIVE
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
- アルファベット
- 読み方の一覧 →
QR code
englishreference.com/q/mislead