错 as a Result Complement — Wrongly / By Mistake

Reading mode:

Overview

错 (cuò) is a result complement telling the listener that an action was performed incorrectly — something was done wrong, the wrong item was chosen, or a mistake was made. It corresponds to English "wrong," "incorrectly," or "by mistake." 写错 is "write incorrectly," 说错 is "say the wrong thing," 拿错 is "take the wrong one." The core idea: the action happened, but it did not achieve its intended correct outcome. 错 is also one of the most practical complements in daily life, because it is how you apologise and how you correct someone.

错 (cuò) says the action was done wrongly: 写错 (wrote wrong), 说错 (said wrong), 拿错 (took the wrong one).

A girl at a desk with an eraser looking worried, a character marked wrong on the board, with 你写错字了 你写错字了 — “You wrote the character wrong.”

Key rule: 错 attaches directly to the verb. Its opposite is 对 (“correctly”) — most verbs that take 错 also take 对.

What 错 Adds to the Verb

Without 错	Pinyin	With 错	Pinyin	Difference
我写了名字。	Wǒ xiě le míngzi.	我写错了名字。	Wǒ xiě cuò le míngzi.	wrote it vs. wrote it wrong
他拿了包。	Tā ná le bāo.	他拿错了包。	Tā ná cuò le bāo.	took a bag vs. took the wrong bag
我猜了答案。	Wǒ cāi le dá’àn.	我猜错了答案。	Wǒ cāi cuò le dá’àn.	guessed vs. guessed wrong

The Six Shades of 错

Shade	What it means	Example
Writing error	writing something incorrectly	写错 xiě cuò — write wrong
Verbal error	saying the wrong thing	说错 shuō cuò — misspeak
Choice error	choosing the wrong item	拿错 ná cuò — take the wrong one
Perception error	mishearing or misreading	听错 tīng cuò — mishear; 看错 kàn cuò — misread
Direction error	going the wrong way	走错 zǒu cuò — go the wrong way
General error	doing something wrong	做错 zuò cuò — make a mistake

Which Verbs Pair with 错

Verb + 错	Pinyin	English	Verb + 错	Pinyin	English
写错	xiě cuò	write incorrectly	走错	zǒu cuò	go the wrong way
说错	shuō cuò	say the wrong thing	做错	zuò cuò	make a mistake
拿错	ná cuò	take the wrong thing	猜错	cāi cuò	guess incorrectly
听错	tīng cuò	mishear	读错	dú cuò	read incorrectly
看错	kàn cuò	misread / mistake visually	打错	dǎ cuò	dial the wrong number

Compatibility: 错 needs a verb that can have a right or wrong outcome. It does not attach to states — ❌ 喜欢错 (xǐhuān cuò), ❌ 知道错 (zhīdào cuò).

Core Examples

Chinese	Pinyin	English	Context
你写错字了。	Nǐ xiě cuò zì le.	You wrote the character wrong.	writing error
我拿错包了！	Wǒ ná cuò bāo le!	I took the wrong bag!	mistaken object
对不起，我说错话了。	Duìbuqǐ, wǒ shuō cuò huà le.	Sorry, I said the wrong thing.	verbal mistake
他走错路了。	Tā zǒu cuò lù le.	He went the wrong way.	navigation error
我看错时间了。	Wǒ kàn cuò shíjiān le.	I misread the time.	visual mistake

A boy in a hallway holding up a pink floral bag next to a black backpack, saying 我拿错包了！ 我拿错包了！— “I took the wrong bag!”

A boy at a fork in the road with a map on his phone, signs showing the correct direction, with 他走错路了 他走错路了 — “He went the wrong way.”

Nuance 1 — 错 Is How You Apologise

Because 错 names a mistake, it is the natural building block for apologies, corrections, and admissions. These three patterns are worth learning as set phrases — they are extremely common in everyday conversation.

错 is the standard way to apologise, correct someone, or admit a mistake.

Situation	Chinese	Pinyin	English
Apologising	对不起，我说错了。	Duìbuqǐ, wǒ shuō cuò le.	Sorry, I said it wrong.
Correcting someone	你写错了。	Nǐ xiě cuò le.	You wrote it wrong.
Admitting a mistake	我做错了。	Wǒ zuò cuò le.	I made a mistake.

Nuance 2 — 错 vs. 对: The Wrong/Right Pair

错 and 对 are direct opposites, and most verbs accept both. Learning them as a pair doubles your expressive range: any action you can do wrongly, you can also do correctly.

错 = wrongly, 对 = correctly. Most verbs take both.

Verb	With 错 (wrong)	Pinyin	With 对 (right)	Pinyin
写	写错 — write wrong	xiě cuò	写对 — write correctly	xiě duì
说	说错 — say wrong	shuō cuò	说对 — say correctly	shuō duì
猜	猜错 — guess wrong	cāi cuò	猜对 — guess right	cāi duì
做	做错 — do wrong	zuò cuò	做对 — do correctly	zuò duì

Chinese	Pinyin	English
我猜错了。	Wǒ cāi cuò le.	I guessed wrong.
我猜对了。	Wǒ cāi duì le.	I guessed right.

Nuance 3 — Nothing Comes Between the Verb and 错

	Chinese	Pinyin	English
✅ Correct	我写错字了。	Wǒ xiě cuò zì le.	I wrote the character wrong.
❌ Incorrect	我写了错字。	Wǒ xiě le cuò zì.	了 cannot separate 写 and 错.

Negation — Use 没, Not 不

To say a mistake was not made, put 没 before the V+错 pair. In practice, though, Chinese usually prefers the positive opposite with 对 — 我说对了 ("I said it right") is far more natural than a negated 错.

Negate with 没 — but it's usually more natural to use 对 instead.

	Chinese	Pinyin	English
✅ Correct	我没说错。	Wǒ méi shuō cuò.	I didn’t say it wrong.
❌ Incorrect	我不说错。	Wǒ bù shuō cuò.	没 is for completed actions, not 不.

Quick Reference

Point	Summary
Meaning	错 = the action was done incorrectly / by mistake
Attachment	directly after the verb — nothing in between
Object position	after the V+错 pair (我写错字了)
Negation	没 for completed actions; often better to use 对 instead
错 vs 对	错 = wrongly · 对 = correctly (same verbs take both)
Common verbs	写, 说, 拿, 听, 看, 走, 做, 猜

Drills

Fill in the correct result complement. Choose from 错 / 对 / 完 / 到. Each question’s English meaning is the hint.

你写___字了。(You wrote the character wrong.)
我拿___包了！(I took the wrong bag!)
对不起，我说___话了。(Sorry, I said the wrong thing.)
他走___路了。(He went the wrong way.)
我看___时间了。(I misread the time.)
我猜___答案了，不是这个。(I guessed the answer wrong.)
对不起，我说___你的名字了。(Sorry, I said your name wrong.)
你猜___了！答案就是那个。(You guessed correctly!)
这道题我做___了。(I did this problem correctly.)
你把名字写___了。(You wrote the name correctly.)
我吃___饭了。(I finished eating.)
你找___钥匙了吗？(Did you find the keys?)

Answer Key: 1. 错 2. 错 3. 错 4. 错 5. 错 6. 错 7. 错 8. 对 9. 对 10. 对 11. 完 12. 到

Notes

Common V+错 chunks: 写错, 说错, 拿错, 听错, 看错, 走错, 做错, 打错.
打错了 is the standard phrase for a wrong-number phone call.
错 needs a right/wrong outcome — it cannot follow states like 喜欢 or 知道.
Learn 错 together with its opposite 对; for the whole family see result complements.

Sources

HSK Standard Course 2 — L9 (结果补语, result complements introduced) HSK Standard Course 3 — L6 (V得/不 + RC, potential form)