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  1. Jun 12, 2021 · confuse (v.) If you confuse two things, you get them mixed up, so that you think one of them is the other one. I always confuse my left with my right. Collins. To mix up in the mind, to fail to distinguish, erroneously regard as identical, mistake one for another.

    • Spoonerism
    • Malapropism
    • Other Ways We Play with English Words

    A ‘spoonerism’ is when a speaker accidentally mixes up the initial sounds or letters of two words in a phrase. The result is usually humorous.

    A ‘malapropism’ is when an incorrect word is used in a sentence that sounds like the correct word but means something completely different.

    Blends

    One of the easiest ways to get words mixed up is to think of one word while trying to say another. This is how blends end up happening. These mistakes happen regularly in all languages and are usually easy to notice. One famous example in pop culture is from the 2004 film Mean Girls, where the main character Cady gets nervous and accidentally creates the word grool.

    Portmanteaus

    Sometimes, though, these blends are intentional and become official words of their own. These new words are called portmanteaus and are quite common in English. Don’t believe me? Well, think about the last time you listened to a podcast (iPod + broadcast), breathed in smog (smoke + fog), on met friends for brunch (breakfast + lunch). A relatively new blended word is for a type of food from Louisiana that has increased in popularity in recent years, especially around American Thanksgiving. Do...

  2. Mar 3, 2018 · The name for a new word created by combining and eliding two distinct words is called a neologism. However, normally that refers to a new word that makes sense when you combine two words, not an already established word that doesn't make sense in the context you intend.

  3. Conflate is a more formal way to say "mix together," and it's typically used for texts or ideas. You probably wouldn't say you conflated the ingredients for a cake, but if you blended two different stories together to make a new one, conflate would work.

  4. If you mix up two things or people, you confuse them, so that you think that one of them is the other one. People often mix me up with other actors. [ VERB noun PARTICLE + with ]

  5. If you mix up two things or people, you confuse them, so that you think that one of them is the other one. 2. If you mix up a number of things, you put things of different kinds together or place things so that they are not in order.

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  7. to fail to recognize two people or things correctly by thinking that one person or thing is the other person or thing: People often mix us up because we look so similar . I think you're mixing me up with my sister .

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