Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Incorrect, mistaken, wrong: Describes something that is not correct, based on an error in perception, judgment, or action.
   • Confused, mixed-up: Describes a state where things are not correctly distinguished or are erroneously interchanged.

2. Verb (used with 'bị', 'bị...nhầm', or in passive constructions):

   • To be mistaken, to be confused (for something/someone else): Indicates that someone or something is incorrectly identified or perceived.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • Đáp án này hoàn toàn nhầm. (This answer is completely wrong.)
  • Tôi đã đưa cho anh ấy chiếc chìa khóa nhầm. (I gave him the wrong key.)
  • Đó là một sự hiểu nhầm. (That is a misunderstanding.)

• Verb (in passive/descriptive constructions):

  • Hai chị em sinh đôi thường bị nhầm. (The twin sisters are often mistaken for each other.)
  • Tên của hai khách sạn gần giống nhau nên dễ bị nhầm lẫn. (The names of the two hotels are similar, so they are easily confused.)

Advanced Usage

• "nhầm lẫn": A common compound noun meaning "confusion, mistake, mix-up". It emphasizes the act or state of being mistaken.

  • Sự nhầm lẫn này có thể dẫn đến hậu quả nghiêm trọng. (This mix-up could lead to serious consequences.)

• "hiểu nhầm" / "hiểu lầm": To misunderstand.

  • Xin đừng hiểu nhầm ý tôi. (Please don't misunderstand my intention.)

• "nhầm tưởng": To mistakenly believe, to be under a misapprehension.

  • Cô ấy nhầm tưởng rằng tôi là nhân viên ở đây. (She mistakenly believed I was an employee here.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lầm: A direct synonym, often used interchangeably with "nhầm" in many contexts (e.g., = = to go the wrong way).
• Sai: Means "wrong, incorrect". While "sai" often refers to factual or logical errors, "nhầm" often implies errors of identification, perception, or accidental mix-ups.
• Nhầm lẫn (n): Confusion, error, mistake (as a noun).
• Lầm lẫn (n): Synonym of "nhầm lẫn".

Synonyms

• Sai: Wrong, incorrect.
• Lầm: Mistaken, wrong (synonym).
• Lộn: Mixed up, reversed (e.g., = to put clothes on inside out/wrongly).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Constructions)

• Nhầm đường: To take the wrong road/path; to go the wrong way.

  • Chúng tôi đã nhầm đường và đến muộn. (We took the wrong way and arrived late.)

• Nhầm số điện thoại: To dial the wrong phone number.

  • Xin lỗi, tôi đã nhầm số. (Sorry, I dialed the wrong number.)

• Nhầm người: To mistake someone for another person.

  • Ô, xin lỗi, tôi nhầm người rồi. (Oh, sorry, I mistook you for someone else.)

Related Idioms

• Cười người hôm trước hôm sau người cười: Literally "Laugh at someone the day before, the next day people laugh at you." This idiom warns against mocking others' mistakes, as you might make the same one later. It relates to the concept of "nhầm" or error.
• Chọn nhầm thầy, vẽ nhầm ma: An idiom highlighting the consequence of a wrong choice ("Choosing the wrong teacher is like drawing a ghost [instead of a proper picture]").

1. như lầm
   • Nhầm đường
     To take the wrong way
   • Hiểu nhầm ý ai
     To mistake someone's meaning