typographical error

American  

noun

1. an error in printed or typewritten matter resulting from striking the improper key of a keyboard, from mechanical failure, or the like.

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Usage

What is a typographical error? A typographical error is a mistake made when typing something. Typographical errors are very commonly called typos for short. The term typically refers to an unintentional error that happens when you accidentally hit the wrong key on a keyboard—the kind of mistake that autocorrect is supposed to catch and automatically fix when you’re typing a document or texting. For example, typing teh when you mean to type the is a common typographical error. Typographical errors often result in misspellings, but, technically, not all misspellings are typos. It wouldn’t be quite accurate to call a misspelling a typographical error if you spelled the word that way on purpose. Still, people often use the word this way, especially when politely pointing out misspellings in things that other people have typed. The term typographical error can also refer to an error made during the printing process, such as due to a mechanical issue, but this sense of the term is much less commonly usedExample: I should have proofread my proposal because as I was presenting it I noticed a typographical error right on the title slide.

Example Sentences

When asked for his memories of his time as a soldier it was not the battles that he served in which came to mind first, but an occasion when he made a "typographical error".

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2022

“We’re aware of this typographical error now,” Rodriguez said.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 15, 2022

Because of a typographical error, President Biden was quoted as saying, “Vice President Harris is dead to me.”

From Washington Post • Jan. 6, 2022

A fascinating new study of the extraordinary impact of a tiny typographical error in a Supreme Court opinion almost a century ago illustrates the point.

From New York Times • Oct. 18, 2021

The one most subjcet to it is the author of a book, for whom it is almost impossible to find every misspelled word and other typographical error in reading the proof.

From Psychology A Study Of Mental Life by Woodworth, Robert S.