sophism.

An argument that appears sound but is misleading or logically mistaken.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• a clever sophism
• expose a sophism

On the page

The essay's neat distinction proved to be a sophism when applied to actual cases.

Usage notes

Primary category: analysis / argumentation / evidence. Forms: Singular sophism; plural sophisms. 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: analysis, evaluation. Commonness: uncommon.