To mishear is to hear something incorrectly or understand words differently from what was actually said. When you mishear someone, your brain processes the sounds wrong, so you think they said one thing when they really said another.

This happens all the time in everyday conversation. Maybe your mom calls from the kitchen, “Can you set the table?” but you mishear it as “Can you pet the cable?” and wonder what she's talking about. Or a teacher says “brass instrument” but you hear “grass instrument” and picture a tuba made of lawn clippings.

Mishearing usually happens when sounds are similar, background noise makes words unclear, or you're distracted and not listening carefully. Sometimes the misheard version is so funny or strange that it becomes more memorable than the real words. Unlike deliberately ignoring someone or pretending not to hear, mishearing is an honest mistake. Your ears are working fine, but something gets scrambled in the translation between sound and meaning.