A dog looks into a mirror and sees his own image. He thinks that is another dog, so he barks at that dog.
Do we say "The dog mistook/misunderstood his image in the mirror for another dog"?
When do we use the verb "mistake" and "misunderstand"?
Word Usage – Do We Say ‘The Dog Mistook or Misunderstood His Image in the Mirror for Another Dog’?
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Best Answer
We use 'misunderstand' about things that could be understood, or comprehended, to mean that the understanding is wrong.
We use 'mistook' to mean something has been identified wrongly as something or someone else.
To see one dog and think it was another, "mistook" is the most appropriate.
Although "mistook" is the past tense of "mistake", remember that there are multiple uses of 'mistake' both as a noun and a verb, but 'mistook' only really applies to the one use of it.