Phrase guide

I tell a lie

phrase · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

phrase

Meaning 1

I am mistaken; I thought that what I said (or wrote) was true, but I have just realised that it is not.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, idiomatic

Examples

  • I visited Canada in 1996—no, I tell a lie, in 1997.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

9 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Czech: kecám — I am mistaken
  • Czech: zpět — I am mistaken
  • Estonian: ma valetan — I am mistaken
  • Japanese: もとい (motoi) — I am mistaken
  • Polish: pomyliłem się — I am mistaken
  • Portuguese: minto — I am mistaken
  • Russian: вру (vru) — I am mistaken
  • Serbo-Croatian: lažem — I am mistaken
  • Spanish: miento — I am mistaken