Key Facts
- Hangul: 틀리다 (teullida)
- Meaning: to be wrong
- Level: A2
- Part of speech: verb
- Stem: 틀리
- Conjugation class: Regular
- Grammar: The wrong thing takes 이/가 (답이 틀려요); the person who made an error is often marked with 은/는.
- Honorific polite: 틀리세요
- Usage: Common in school and tests. Native speakers sometimes use 틀리다 to mean different in casual speech, but in careful speech it means wrong.
What Does 틀리다 Mean?
- to be wrong; to be incorrect: Used for incorrect answers or facts, e.g. 답이 틀리다 (the answer is wrong).
- to be off: Used for something not working out as expected, e.g. 계획이 틀리다 (the plan went off).
틀리다 is to be wrong or incorrect. 답이 틀리다 says the answer is wrong, and 그 문장은 틀려요 says that sentence is wrong. The wrong thing takes 이/가, and the person who made the error is often marked with 은/는. The second sense is something not working out: 계획이 틀리다.
The big trap is 다르다. Even native speakers sometimes use 틀리다 for 'different' in casual speech, but in careful Korean 틀리다 means wrong, and different is 다르다. Learn them as a pair.
Which Set Phrases Use 틀리다?
- 답이 틀리다: The answer is wrong.
- 자꾸 틀리다: To keep getting it wrong.
- 계획이 틀리다: The plan went off.
How Do You Pronounce 틀리다?
틀리다 is read as spelled. The past 틀렸어요 is [틀려써요] and the formal 틀립니다 is [틀림니다]. The future 틀릴 거예요 is [틀릴꺼예요].
How Do You Use 틀리다 in a Sentence?
제 답이 틀렸어요.
My answer was wrong.
제 답이 is 'my answer', and the past 틀렸어요 reports a result: it was wrong. This is a typical test-time sentence.
그 문장은 틀려요.
That sentence is wrong.
그 문장은 is the topic 'that sentence'. The polite present 틀려요 states a flaw in it.
자꾸 틀리면 다시 해 보세요.
If you keep getting it wrong, try again.
자꾸 (repeatedly) shows a pattern, and the if-form 틀리면 gives the condition. 다시 해 보세요 is the encouragement: try again.
How Does Teullida Conjugation Work?
틀리다 is regular. The stem 틀리 ends in ㅣ, and ㅣ + 어 contracts to ㅕ, so the polite present is 틀려요 and the past is 틀렸어요. Consonant endings keep the stem: 틀리면, 틀립니다.
틀리다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 틀려요 | ||
| Polite past | 틀렸어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 틀릴 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 틀리겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 틀립니다 | ||
| Formal past | 틀렸습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 틀릴 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 틀려 | ||
| Casual past | 틀렸어 | ||
| Casual future | 틀릴 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 틀리세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 틀려서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 틀리면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 틀리는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 틀린 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 틀릴 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 틀려요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 틀리지 않아요 |
No want-to cell is given for 틀리다: being wrong is not something you choose, so -고 싶다 is not normally used.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 틀렸어요 | [틀려써요] |
| Polite future | 틀릴 거예요 | [틀릴꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 틀리겠어요 | [틀리게써요] |
| Formal present | 틀립니다 | [틀림니다] |
| Formal past | 틀렸습니다 | [틀렫씀니다] |
| Formal future | 틀릴 것입니다 | [틀릴꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 틀렸어 | [틀려써] |
| Casual future | 틀릴 거야 | [틀릴꺼야] |
| Long negative | 틀리지 않아요 | [틀리지 아나요] |
Common Mistake with 틀리다
Wrong: ✗ 저와 생각이 틀려요 (for 'my idea is different')
Correct: ✓ 저와 생각이 달라요.
Why: 틀리다 means wrong. For 'different', use 다르다, whose polite form is 달라요.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 틀리다?
| Word | How to tell it from 틀리다 |
|---|---|
| 다르다 | 다르다 means different. Saying 틀리다 for 'different' is a common mistake in Korean itself. |
| 맞다 | 맞다 is the opposite: to be right or correct. |
Checking an Answer with a Classmate
Two students compare a practice answer with the answer key. They focus on the answer rather than criticizing each other.
Mina
제 답이 틀렸어요?
Je dabi teullyeosseoyo?
Was my answer wrong?
Alex
네, 이 부분이 틀려요.
Ne, i bubuni teullyeoyo.
Yes, this part is wrong.
Mina
틀리면 다시 해 볼게요.
Teullimyeon dasi hae bolgeyo.
If it is wrong, I will try again.
틀렸어요 asks about the result of an earlier attempt. 틀려요 points to the part that is incorrect now, and 틀리면 makes an error the condition for another attempt. 이 부분, “this part,” narrows the correction to a specific section instead of judging the entire piece of work.
Mistakes, Certainty and Repeated Errors
문제를 틀리다 means “to get a question wrong.” Here 문제 takes the object marker 를 because someone gets that question wrong. Compare the existing 답이 틀려요, where 답, “answer,” is the subject being described as incorrect. Both patterns are useful when discussing test results.
자꾸 틀리다 means “to keep getting it wrong.” 자꾸 adds repetition. It suggests that the error happens again, rather than merely saying that one answer is incorrect. A teacher can use this phrase while helping a student identify a repeated spelling or calculation problem.
틀림없다 means “to be certain” or “to be unmistakable.” Literally it suggests that there is no error. It is written as one word and is a separate expression. You will also meet the adverb 틀림없이, “certainly” or “without doubt,” in stories, confident predictions and spoken deductions.
틀린 답 means “a wrong answer.” It is a practical phrase when looking at an answer that has already been given. The table’s 틀리는 describes an ongoing or recurring action, while 틀린 suits a completed error. Pay attention to the event being described rather than translating English “wrong” with a single modifier everywhere.
Where Will You Hear 틀리다?
Classrooms, quizzes and explanations of errors are common settings. A teacher’s correction might identify a 틀린 답 and then explain the rule. In a conversation about directions or a factual detail, 틀렸어요 can acknowledge that a previous claim was mistaken. It is useful for correcting yourself as well as someone else.
A direct statement that someone is wrong can sound sharp even with 요. Pointing to the answer, number or specific part makes the correction more precise. The dialogue names 이 부분 instead of treating the classmate as the problem. This is especially helpful when giving feedback at work or in a study group.
You may hear 틀리다 used casually where careful Korean calls for 다르다. When discussing two tastes, opinions or preferences, difference alone does not establish an error. Use 다르다 unless one statement actually fails a standard of correctness. That distinction is useful in both exams and personal disagreements.
What Makes the Contraction Easy to Miss?
틀리 is the stem: the final syllable is 리, not 르. This word therefore follows the regular ㅣ-to-ㅕ contraction, giving 틀려요. Its resemblance to words with two ㄹ sounds is not a reason to apply the 르-irregular rule. Keep 틀리 in forms such as 틀리면 and 틀립니다.
The spelling keeps the root even when a past ending changes the sound. 틀렸어요 contains the past marker, while 틀려요 is the polite present. Both can be used in a conversation about a written answer: one looks back at the attempt, while the other judges the answer in front of you.
The future 틀릴 거예요 predicts an error; it usually does not express a deliberate plan to be wrong. The table’s general future label covers predictions as well as intentions. Read the meaning with the verb: a student can expect to make an error without intending to make one.
| Related word | Meaning | Use beside 틀리다 |
|---|---|---|
| 정답 | correct answer | The answer accepted as correct in a test or quiz. |
| 오답 | wrong answer | A compact noun used in study materials. |
| 실수 | mistake / slip | Focuses on an error someone makes. |
| 다르다 | different | Describes a contrast without declaring an error. |
See exam and grade vocabulary for the words around answers, results and test feedback.
Mini Drill: Build the Right Form
- Give the polite present of 틀리다.
- Ask “Was my answer wrong?” using the earlier example.
- Give the conditional “if someone gets it wrong.”
- Choose the word for two different preferences: 틀리다 or 다르다.
Show drill answers
- 틀려요.
- 제 답이 틀렸어요?
- 틀리면.
- 다르다. Difference alone is not an error.
Quick Self-Test
- What does 문제를 틀리다 mean?
- What does 자꾸 add to 틀리다?
- Does 틀릴 거예요 necessarily announce a deliberate plan?
Show self-test answers
- To get a question wrong.
- Repetition: getting it wrong again and again.
- No. It can predict an error.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Polite Present of 틀리다?
틀려요.
How Do I Say 'My Answer Was Wrong'?
제 답이 틀렸어요.
Does 틀리다 Mean 'Different'?
Not in careful speech. Use 다르다 for different; 틀리다 means wrong.
What Is the Opposite of 틀리다?
맞다, meaning to be right.
Which Words Are Related to 틀리다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Pair 틀리다 with 맞다 immediately, then learn 다르다 and 같다. After those you can talk about correct, wrong, different and same without mixing them up. For the rule behind these forms, read how ㅣ stems become ㅕ, then try another stem in the Korean verb conjugator or browse the Korean verb dictionary.