What it means
غلط (ghalat) means wrong, incorrect, or mistaken. The word is borrowed from Arabic غَلَط (ghalat), where it means error or blunder, and it has been fully absorbed into Persian across all registers. As an adjective it describes anything that is factually incorrect, morally wrong, or improperly done. As a noun it means a mistake or error. A close near-synonym in Persian is اشتباه (eshtebâh), also from Arabic, which can sound slightly softer or more forgiving. غلط can carry a sharper, more absolute judgment in some contexts, though in practice the two words are used interchangeably by most speakers.
How to use it
- جوابت غلطه، دوباره حساب کن. (javâbet ghalat-e, dobâre hesâb kon.) “Your answer is wrong, calculate again.”
- غلط میکنی اگه فکر کنی اون حرفت رو فراموش میکنه. (ghalat mi-koni age fekr koni un harfet ro farâmush mi-kone.) “You are wrong if you think she will forget what you said.”
- تو دیکتهام سهتا غلط داشتم. (tu dikte-am se-tâ ghalat dâshtam.) “I had three mistakes in my dictation.”
- این کارت غلطه، نباید اینطوری باهاش رفتار میکردی. (in kâret ghalat-e, nabâyad in-tori bâhâsh raftâr mi-kardi.) “What you did was wrong, you should not have treated him that way.”
Cultural note
غلط کردن (ghalat kardan, literally to do wrong) is an extremely common Persian idiom that can mean anything from making a mistake to behaving improperly, and in heated speech it can function as a strong rebuke meaning you had no right to do that. The phrase غلط کردی (ghalat kardi, you did wrong) ranges in intensity from a parent correcting a child to a sharp confrontational accusation depending on tone. Learners should note that غلط is also the word used in schools for spelling errors and grammar mistakes, so it appears early and often in any formal Persian education context.