Mix up meaning
Mix up means to think that one person or thing is another one. It can also mean to change the order of things so they are no longer in the right place.
mix somebody or something up
mix up · mixed · mixing
Sorry, I mixed you up with your cousin.
Mix up meanings and examples
2 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
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1
Think that one person or thing is another one
mix somebody or something up
- Sorry, I mixed you up with your cousin.
- Don’t mix up left and right in the driving test!
- I think the waiter mixed our orders up.
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2
Change the order of things so they are no longer in the right place
mix something up
- Someone mixed up all the books on the shelf.
- Don’t mix the photos up. They’re in date order.
- The cards were mixed up, so I sorted them again.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use mix up in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is mix up separable?
Mix up is separable: mix up the names, mix the names up. With a pronoun, it goes in the middle: I mixed them up, not I mixed up them.
The noun is a mix-up, with a hyphen: There was a mix-up with our tickets. Mixed up as an adjective means confused, and be mixed up in something means be involved in something bad.
Verb tenses for mix up
| Present | I mix up · she mixes up |
|---|---|
| Past | mixed up |
| Present perfect | have mixed up |
| -ing form | mixing up |
Common mistakes with mix up
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: Their names are so similar. I always mix up them.
Right: Their names are so similar. I always mix them up.
A pronoun goes between mix and up.
Wrong: I mixed up Anna for Maria.
Right: I mixed up Anna with Maria.
Use mix up A with B, or mix up A and B.
Wrong: There was a mix up about the date.
Right: There was a mix-up about the date.
The noun has a hyphen. The verb has none.
Synonyms and opposites of mix up
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- confusethe more formal word: I confuse the two
- mess updo something badly, not confuse two things
- muddle upUK; means the same as mix up
Opposite
- sort output things in order again
- tell apartsee the difference between two similar things
Mix up quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1The two bags looked the same, so I ___.
Mix up means think one thing is another.
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2Choose the right sentence.
The pronoun goes in the middle, and the pattern is mix A up with B.
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3“There was a mix-up at the hotel.” What happened?
A mix-up is a mistake where things or people get confused.
Find your level
The phrasal verbs test adapts as you answer, from A2 to C1, and shows which ones you miss.
- get upA1get out of bed after you sleep
- take upB1start a new hobby or activity
- put upB1fix something to a wall, or raise something higher
- look upA2find information in a dictionary, a book or online
- go upB1become higher, like a price, a number or a temperature
- come upB2be mentioned or talked about
- give upB1stop doing or having something, often a habit
- break upB1end a romantic relationship
Mix up FAQ
Questions people ask about mix up.
What is a mix-up?
A mix-up is a mistake that happens when people confuse things. There was a mix-up and I got someone else’s coffee.
Mix up vs mess up: what is the difference?
You mix up two things when you confuse them. You mess up something when you do it badly. I mixed up the dates, so I messed up the plan.
What does mixed up mean?
Mixed up can describe a person who feels confused: I’m a bit mixed up. Mixed up in means involved in something bad: He got mixed up in a fight.
Use mix up in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.