chasing a red herring

USAGE SUMMARY

"chasing a red herring" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it when referring to pursuing a misleading or irrelevant clue or idea. Example: "The detective realized he was just chasing a red herring and needed to refocus on the main suspect." Alternative expressions include "pursuing a distraction" and "following a false lead."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

It takes impressive swagger for a show to spend an entire episode chasing a red herring.

The New York Times

It is time for it to admit what most Americans already know: we squandered hundreds of lives, tens of billions of dollars and a valuable year of time chasing a red herring, while the true threats of rogue nuclear acquisition were forgotten or ignored.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

This pursuit is however a wild goose chase, and a red herring, strictly amateur sport," he said.

Huffington Post

In the follow-up piece, Hanushek condemned Ravitch's precise and balanced positions as "Red Herrings," "a red herring," "a red herring," " a red herring," "a red herring," "a red herring," "red herrings," and "red herrings".

Huffington Post

That is a red herring.

The Washington Post

But it's a red herring.

The New York Times

That's just a red herring.

The New York Times - Magazine

That's a red herring.

The New York Times

Luck is a red herring.

The Guardian - Sport

This is a red herring.

The Guardian

It is a red herring.

The Guardian - Opinion

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

In investigative writing, pair the phrase with evidence that explains why the 'herring' was misleading to provide a clearer narrative for the reader.

Common error

Do not use this phrase as a synonym for a hopeless task. While "chasing a red herring" implies you are being misled, it does not necessarily mean the task itself is impossible—just that you are looking at the wrong thing. For a task that is simply a waste of time with no possible success, use "chasing a wild goose" instead.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "chasing a red herring" functions as an idiomatic verb phrase typically used as the predicate of a sentence. It combines the present participle "chasing" with the noun phrase "a red herring" to describe the action of following a misleading path. According to Ludwig, the phrase is frequently used to critique arguments or investigative strategies that have gone off-track.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

65%

Academia

20%

Science

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

3%

Encyclopedias

1%

Social Media

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "chasing a red herring" is a robust and sophisticated idiom used to describe the pursuit of irrelevant or misleading information. Verified by Ludwig AI, it appears across a vast spectrum of high-authority sources, from the sports pages of The Guardian to the scientific archives of Harvard University. The core of its usage lies in the distinction between a mere mistake and a distraction that leads one away from the truth. While it is often used interchangeably with other idioms of pursuit, its specific connotation of 'misdirection' makes it uniquely valuable for analytical writing. Writers should feel confident using it in professional and academic settings to highlight logical inconsistencies, provided they ensure the context supports the idea of a misleading diversion rather than just a failed effort.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

following a false lead

Replaces the fish metaphor with a direct investigative term commonly used in police or journalistic work.

pursuing a distraction

Uses more literal, academic language to describe the act of losing focus on the central issue.

following a trail of misdirection

Provides a more descriptive narrative of the process of being led away from the truth.

pursuing an irrelevance

A formal and precise alternative often used in technical or logical debates.

hunting a decoy

Emphasizes that the target was intentionally placed to mislead the pursuer.

tracking a diversion

Implies a more tactical or military context for the misdirection.

barking up the wrong tree

A similar idiom that implies an incorrect assumption or direction, though not necessarily due to a deliberate decoy.

being led astray

Focuses on the state of the person being misled rather than the object of the pursuit.

chasing a phantom

Suggests that the target of the pursuit is non-existent or illusory rather than just misleading.

chasing a wild goose

While similar, this implies a futile or hopeless search rather than a misleading clue.

FAQs

What is a common synonym for "chasing a red herring"?

A frequent alternative is "following a false lead", which is often used in news and investigative contexts.

How do I use "chasing a red herring" in a sentence?

You can use it to describe a logical error, such as: "The detective realized he was just "chasing a red herring" while the real culprit escaped".

What is the difference between "chasing a red herring" and "chasing a wild goose"?

A red herring is a distraction or a "misleading clue", whereas a "wild goose chase" refers to a search that is completely pointless or doomed to fail.

Is it appropriate to use "chasing a red herring" in formal essays?

Yes, it is widely accepted in academic and journalistic writing to identify distractions in an argument, though you might also consider "pursuing an irrelevance" for a more technical tone.