Sign In Get Started
Prepositions after verbs

Misunderstand by, as, in, for or to?

Misunderstand usually takes a direct object. Some prepositions appear in specific expressions, while others are uncommon after the verb.

Quick answer

Which prepositions are used with misunderstand?

The most common structure is misunderstand someone or something. As is used in misunderstand someone as something. By may introduce the cause of confusion in passive structures. In, for, and to are not standard direct partners of misunderstand.

I misunderstood her as unfriendly.
He was misunderstood by his colleagues.
People often misunderstand the instructions.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
misunderstand + object

Failing to understand correctly

Use misunderstand directly with a person, message, or situation.

They misunderstood the question completely.
I misunderstood her joke at first.
2
misunderstand someone as + noun/adjective

Mistaking someone or something for another thing

Use as when identifying an incorrect interpretation.

She misunderstood his silence as anger.
The comment was misunderstood as criticism.
3
be misunderstood by + people

Naming who failed to understand

Use by in passive structures.

The artist was misunderstood by critics.
His intentions were misunderstood by the public.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
misunderstand by
She was misunderstood by her team.
Natural in passive structures showing who misunderstood someone.
misunderstand as
His smile was misunderstood as sarcasm.
Standard pattern for a wrong interpretation.
misunderstand in
This is not a standard fixed pattern after misunderstand.
In may appear separately in phrases of place or context.
misunderstand for
People sometimes say mistake for instead.
For is generally not used directly after misunderstand.
misunderstand to
This combination is not idiomatic in current English.
Use misunderstand someone or misunderstand something instead.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using for instead of as

Use as for incorrect interpretation.

✕ I misunderstood him for a manager. ✓ I misunderstood him as a manager.

Adding unnecessary prepositions

Misunderstand often needs no preposition.

✕ She misunderstood about the rules. ✓ She misunderstood the rules.

Using to after misunderstand

To is not a normal complement after this verb.

✕ They misunderstood to my point. ✓ They misunderstood my point.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The remark was misunderstood ___ an insult.
2. He was misunderstood ___ many readers.
3. I completely misunderstood ___ instructions.

Check your sentence in context

Paste the complete sentence below. Linguix checks the preposition together with grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.

Free to try · No signup required

Frequently asked questions

Do we usually need a preposition after misunderstand?

No. The verb commonly takes a direct object, such as misunderstand the message.

Is misunderstand as correct?

Yes. It is used when someone interprets something incorrectly, as in misunderstood as rude.

Can misunderstand be followed by for?

Not usually. English more often uses mistake someone for someone else.

magnify, by, magnify, in "maintain by" or "maintain in"? make by, in, for, of or to? "manage by" or "manage to"? manifest in, by, as, into or on? manipulate by, in, for, with or into? mar by, with, at, for or as? march in, to, on, into or through? "mark by" or "mark with"? "market in" or "market to"? "marry to" or "marry in"? masquerade as, under, at or Like?

Write with confidence in Linguix

Create a free account to check complete texts, apply suggestions, and save your documents.

Create a free account