When writing or speaking, I use the words “mistake” and “error” interchangeably. The definitions in some dictionaries are comically circular.
Dictionary.com defines an error as:
“a deviation from accuracy or correctness; a MISTAKE, as in action or speech.”
It also defines a mistake as:
“an ERROR in action, calculation, opinion, or judgment caused by poor reasoning, carelessness, insufficient knowledge, etc.”
So, a mistake is an error, and an error is a mistake.
