committed mistakes

USAGE SUMMARY

"committed mistakes" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when you want to say that someone has made a mistake, or a series of mistakes. For example: "He admitted that he had committed mistakes in his professional life, but had now learned from those experiences."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

14 human-written examples

"I may have committed mistakes, but I never committed crimes," she said.

The Guardian

"I may have committed mistakes but I never committed crimes," Rousseff said.

The Guardian

Then, in the spring, Braley committed mistakes while Ernst showed sudden potential.

The Washington Post

"Venezuela is in a complex situation, it has a lot of inequality, it might have committed mistakes," he told the Guardian.

The Guardian

"All of us in life have committed mistakes, some with consequences more serious than others," Farc leader Iván Márquez said Friday at a ceremony in a northern Colombian town, where rebels in 1994 disrupted a street party with gunfire, killing 35.

The Guardian

War has caused unprecedented economic crisis and deteriorated humanitarian situation in Yemen, where all basic services — electricity, health, education and others — have collapsed, rendering majority of population in dire need for immediate humanitarian aid! Let's be honest, all have committed mistakes, nobody can deny that.. . .

The Washington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

46 human-written examples

The Ukraine implosion comes at the end of a particularly chaotic month, even by Trump standards, in which the campaign Manafort was ostensibly running committed mistake after mistake and plummeted in the polls.

HuffPost

And free people are free to commit mistakes, and to commit crimes".

The New York Times

He bothers the other skaters, he unnerves them, he makes them commit mistakes.

The New York Times

"Sometimes our mujahedeen commit mistakes as well, and mistakenly they detonate the bomb and then it causes civilians to get killed," he said.

The New York Times

The Knicks overcame the clutch 3-point shooting of the Milwaukee Bucks and their own penchant for committing mistakes to claim their most dramatic victory of the season.

The New York Times - Sports

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "committed mistakes", ensure the context clearly indicates that the subject actively made errors, not just experienced negative outcomes. For instance, clarify the specific actions leading to the errors.

Common error

Avoid using "committed mistakes" passively (e.g., "mistakes were committed") when you can use an active construction. Active voice makes the sentence more direct and emphasizes who made the mistakes.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "committed mistakes" functions as a verb phrase where "committed" is the past tense of the verb "commit", and "mistakes" is a noun. As Ludwig AI confirms, the phrase is grammatically correct. It describes the action of making errors.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Science

25%

Wiki

15%

Less common in

Academia

5%

Formal & Business

5%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "committed mistakes" is a grammatically sound and commonly used expression for acknowledging errors. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness and usability in various contexts. While broadly applicable, it's best to use it in the active voice to emphasize who made the errors and in which specific action or event. Alternatives like "made errors" or "erred" can provide nuance depending on the desired level of formality. Predominantly found in News & Media and Scientific contexts, it's a versatile phrase for discussing errors across different scenarios.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

made errors

Replaces "committed mistakes" with a more general term for errors, suitable for various contexts.

erred

Offers a concise, formal alternative suggesting a deviation from correctness or moral principles.

made blunders

Implies larger, more noticeable errors compared to "committed mistakes".

been at fault

Shifts the focus to responsibility or blame for errors.

slipped up

Suggests a minor, often unintentional error, less formal than "committed mistakes".

miscalculated

Emphasizes errors in judgment or planning.

goofed up

Indicates a careless or foolish mistake, even more informal than "slipped up".

acted unwisely

Highlights poor decision-making leading to negative consequences.

screwed up

A more vulgar and stronger way of saying someone made a mistake. Very informal.

made a faux pas

Refers to a social blunder, indicating a breach of etiquette.

FAQs

How can I use "committed mistakes" in a sentence?

You can use "committed mistakes" to indicate that someone has made errors. For example, "The manager admitted that he had "committed mistakes" during the project's initial phase".

What is a more formal way to say "committed mistakes"?

A more formal alternative to "committed mistakes" is "erred", which suggests a deviation from correctness or moral principles.

Is it better to say "committed mistakes" or "made mistakes"?

Both "committed mistakes" and "made mistakes" are correct, but "made mistakes" is more common and versatile. The choice depends on the context and desired level of formality.

What's the difference between "committed mistakes" and "been at fault"?

"Committed mistakes" focuses on the actions that led to errors, while "been at fault" emphasizes responsibility or blame for the errors.