¿Cuál es la diferencia entre "Mistake" y "Errors"?
Hola les saluda Edi.
Tengo una duda. ¿Cuál es la diferencia entre Mistakes y Errors?
Ejemplo:
"Someone will be sure to correct our mistakes."
"I suspect the rewrite given by EdiOswald in his reply has too many errors in it."
Ambas significan errores por lo que pude ver en el traductor. Pero me surge la duda de cual es la manera correcta de utilizarlos en el idioma inglés.
Podría alguien ayudarme, por favor.
9 Answers
Hola, Edi...En realidad no hay diferencia. Tal vez "error" se considere algo más sofisticado, pero, hablando del uso corriente, los dos son intercambiables.
Hi EdiOswaldo,
I don't think that I have the ability to explain this in Spanish, but I hope that you can follow as I try to explain it in English.
The word "error" implies that one has wandered or gone astray. This can mean that one has wandered from the truth, accuracy, correctness or what is right, etc. When error is used as a noun it has a broader scope than the word "mistake" does and it incorporates the definition of "mistake" in its meaning.
The word "mistake" implies something that has been taken wrongly. It implies a fault in understanding, perception, interpretation or an idea, answer, or act, etc that is wrong. It is suggestive of something incorrectly done that has come about due to carelessness, inattention or misunderstanding and does not in itself carry a strong implication of criticism of the person who has made the mistake.
Also, you "make a mistake", but you "commit an error" (never "make an error").
I disagree with this last statement. Because when used as a noun, the word error encompasses the meaning of the word mistake, it is possible to "make an error." For example, it would not be strange to say:
My son made an error in judgment.
This would be synonymous with "my son made a mistake," and the statement in itself does not suggest strongly any criticism towards the son. The word "error" can be used more broadly than the word mistake can when used as a noun.
An error can refer to a state of being in which a person believes what is untrue or incorrect. It can also be used to describe the error or opinion itself. In this you might say:
I was in error regarding right and wrong when I made the mistake of robbing that liquor store
It would be possible (but redundant in this sentence) to replace "mistake" with "error" in the second clause:
I made the error of robbing that liquor store.
but you could not replace the word "error" in the first clause with the word "mistake."
I was in mistake regarding right and wrong [this could not be said like this]
You might also say the following:
I was in error (in a condition/state of being where I believed what was untrue) for believing that the president would be any different from his predecessors once he took office
That was my error for believing that the president would be any different from his predecessors.
In the first sentence, you would not be able to substitute the word "mistake" for the word error, because it describes a state of being (you could, however, use related word "mistaken"). In the second sentence, it could be possible to change the word error for the word mistaken if you were trying to divert criticism from your own actions. The word error, however, could also be taken to mean "folly" which would have an entirely different connotation than the word "mistaken." If you were to change the word "error" to "folly" you would be left with:
That was my folly for believing that the president would be any different from his predecessors.
It is more accusatory to use the word folly here in place of the word "mistake." A folly implies foolishness and is more accusatory. This statement implies self-criticism as though the speaker were saying, "I was a fool for believing the president would be any different from his predecessors." The word "mistake" by itself can not be used by itself in this sense because it doesn't imply criticism. The word error could also be replaced by the word "blunder." A blunder implies that the error came as a result of stupidity or clumsiness and is very critical of the subject. The word error by itself can incorporate all of these words (blunder, folly, mistake), but the word mistake by itself usually has to be modified in order to add criticism. For example, one could make a "stupid mistake" or a "foolish mistake." The word error, can also be used with a modifier such as this, but it can also stand alone to encompass the meanings of the other two words without being modified because it does not inherently deflect criticism as the word "mistake" does. In this sense, the word error, by itself, can take on a broader meaning than the word mistake can.
Besides the broader, yet similar meanings, there are other instances where "error" would be preferred or exclusively used over the word "mistake." In math and science, for example, the word "error" is used to describe the difference between a computed or estimated result and the actual value. The word "mistake" is not used in this context.
We made a 10 percent error in our original calculations
The word "error" can also have a moral connotation to it. It can be more strongly related to a departure from an accepted moral standard and can be synonymous with "wrong doing" or "sin."
He was finally able to see the error of his ways
Additionally, it should be noted that the word "mistake" can also be used as a verb; whereas, the word "error" is strictly a noun (the related verb would be "to err"). It would be possible to say:
I don't want to mistake your smile as an indication that you are actually having a good time.
I sometimes mistake my neighbor's cat for my own
Don't mistake my kindness for weakness.
In none of these sentences would you be able to replace the word "mistake" for "error" because in this sense they represent different parts of speech.
In terms of your example sentences
"Someone will be sure to correct our mistakes."
You could also say
Someone will be sure to correct our errors
"I suspect the rewrite given by EdiOswald in his reply has too many errors in it."
It would also be possible to replace errors here:
I suspect the rewrite given by EdiOswald in his reply has too many mistakes in it.
Just remember that when you shift between these words they can be used synonymously, but they can also be used with a slightly different connotation. In general, the word "mistake" is often slightly more forgiving of the person who has made the mistake; whereas, because of its wider meaning, and especially because of its prevalence in logic and science, it often carries a somewhat colder or more impersonal connotation, yet it can also still be used to incorporate a much wider array of meaning that is not always apparent with the word "mistake."
In everyday usage; however, the two words are often used synonymously, and in most cases you should feel confident to use either one while remembering that mistake is usually the more common word to use simply because error seems more impersonal. Just to review, the ways that they are not synonymous is as follows:
1). "Mistake" can not be used to refer to a state of being you can't be "in mistake" you can only be "in error." This means that you as a person are under the influence of a mistake or error in belief (i.e. you believe what is not true, incorrect, wrong, etc.).
2). "Mistake" by itself does not denote a belief or opinion, but an error can refer to this.
3). An "error" is usually the terminology used to describe a deviation from the expected in math and science. You would not use "mistake" for this
4). "Error" can often be synonymous with the word "sin" in a religious or moral way.
5). Both a "mistake" and an error can be used to describe something that is done through ignorance, carelessness or because of a wrongly held belief or opinion.
7). The word "mistake" can be used as a verb, but "error" is only used as a noun.
En líneas generales las palabras más fáciles para los hispanoparlantes o sea las palabras derivadas del latín son más formales que sus "sinónimos" anglosajones. Ésta es una ley general que es bueno aprender. Un porcentaje muy alto funciona así.
Enter es más "fino" que come in.
Increase es más fino que go up.
Verify es más formal que check.
Error debería ser más formal que mistake.
Cuanto más parecido al castellano, que es un idioma derivado del latín, más fino, refinado y formal. Casi siempre los documentos etc. tienen más vocabulario de este tipo
Suerte.
Hi Edi
In my opinion "Errors" are more to do with judgement - as in the baseball example by TabrisX.
"Mistakes" are more to do with lack of knowledge as in an incorrect answer to an exam question.
You say "An error of judgement" not a "Mistake of judgement"
An expression in English is "To err is human to forgive is dIvine"
I hope this helps.
Por favor revisar https://hinative.com/es-MX/questions/29353
They mean the same thing -- you could use either word in either of your examples. However, there is a difference in register. In other words, "error" sounds more formal than "mistakes". If I were writing a report for my supervisor, I would be more likely to say "errors"; if I was talking to a friend, I would be more likely to say "mistakes".
Also, you "make a mistake", but you "commit an error" (never "make an error").
Generalmente, no hay diferencia además de la formalidad, pero, "error" suena un poco más como un error hecho por la tecnología, mientras que "mistake" suena más como un error hecho por humanos. 
En lo referente al estudio de una lengua extrangera, "error" se comete por falta de conocimiento de las regras que rigen la lengua objeto (por ej: Ingles) y "mistake" se produce por falta de atencion, cansancio, etc y pueden ser corregidos por uno mismo, no asi los "errors" que al ser producidos por desconocimiento de las reglas, uno mismo no los puede corregir. los "errors" no son producidos por los hablantes nativos de una lengua, solo por los estudiantes de la misma.
En el béisbol, los jugadores hacen "errors" y no mistakes. 
