Mismatch

How to spell mismatch

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce mismatch

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does mismatch mean?

1. nounA pairing or combination of things that do not fit or go well together.
2. verbTo put together or pair things that are unsuitable or do not correspond.

Mismatch in a sentence

• noun

  There was a clear mismatch between the candidate's skills and the role.

• verb

  The software can mismatch records when the dates are entered incorrectly.

• noun

  The accountant spotted a mismatch between the invoice and the payment.

• verb

  A careless tailor might mismatch the buttons with the fabric.

Where does mismatch come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word is a transparent English compound, built from the prefix mis-, an old Germanic element that has been part of English since Anglo-Saxon times and means 'wrongly', 'badly', or 'amiss', joined to match. The noun match descends from Old English gemecca, meaning a mate, companion, or one of a pair that fits well together, which itself comes from a root tied to making and suitability. When the two were combined, probably during the 1500s, the sense was simply 'a thing wrongly matched' or 'a pairing that does not fit'. The verb developed alongside, meaning to join or pair things that do not suit one another. Because both halves are plain English words, the spelling holds no hidden trap beyond the double s where the prefix meets the root, exactly as in 'misspell' and 'misshapen'.

How the word is built

• mis- (wrongly, badly)
• match (a pair, an equal, a suitable counterpart)