Nice ways to say you're wrong in English

Making mistakes is a normal part of life but how this is communicated can build or break relationships. Learning how to diplomatically point out that someone is wrong, or has made a mistake, is challenging, to say the least. We've put together some useful tips including synonyms for mistakes and smart tactics for softening the blow. 

Nice words for mistakes and problems 

• oversight 

• slip up 

• hiccup 

• confusion 

• bump 

• hurdle 

• challenge 

Always use modifiers to make things seem less or smaller 

• slight 

• little 

• a bit of 

• minor 

• a few 

Examples 

• This may create a slight hurdle for us 

• There's been a little confusion about x 

• It seems there was a bit of an oversight regarding x 

• It looks like we may have hit a bump with x 

• There are a few sections of the report that need to be changed 

• A minor slip up has surfaced 

• There have been a few hiccups along the way 

Avoid saying "you" to the person who made the mistake 

• There's been an oversight 

• There may have been some confusion 

• It seems like we've hit a bump 

Make positive suggestions instead of directly pointing out the mistake 

• Let's recheck the statement together 

• Let's look at it again later as it needs a little revision 

• We'll need to make a few minor adjustments/amendments 

The London School of English offers high quality English language training for motivated adults from all professional backgrounds. We give you the tools and skills you need to communicate successfully in your field of expertise and to expand your business and career opportunities. Call us on +46 8 5999 4000 or email us at [email protected] for more information about our tailored tuition or simply take our online test to check your English level.