1. To read or identify written material incorrectly.
2. To interpret a meaning, situation, sign or person incorrectly.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- misread a number
- misread a word
On the page
The witness misread the number because the ink had blurred.
The reader misread the handwritten word and therefore copied the wrong name.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- misread
- Past tense
- misread
- Past participle
- misread
- Present participle
- misreading
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- misread
- Present continuous
- am/is/are misreading
- Present perfect
- have/has misread
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been misreading
- Past
- misread
- Past continuous
- was/were misreading
- Past perfect
- had misread
- Past perfect continuous
- had been misreading
- Future
- will misread
- Future continuous
- will be misreading
- Future perfect
- will have misread
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been misreading
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: misread; misreads; misread; misread; misreading Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: style analysis, interpretation, characterization, rhetorical contrast. Disciplines: literary analysis, prose writing, advanced general English. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: misreads.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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