Newsletter and Grammar Coach

Of all possible subject matter, semantics rarely makes the top 10 in water cooler discussion topics — that is, if enough people have even returned to offices to meet at the water cooler (and if the office still even has a water cooler).

That aside, one topic with top-10 workplace discussion potential is the distinction between the terms “misinformation” and “disinformation.” The noun “disinformation” has become commonplace these days, in news stories, online posts and office memos. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary traces the origin of the term “misinformation” to the year 1605, while “disinformation” is a much newer term, with first use not recorded until 1939. The dictionary’s etymology capsule cites a source attributing the origin of the disinformation concept to an intelligence strategy hatched by the KGB, the Soviet Union’s key espionage agency. Despite a three-century head start, prevalence of the term “misinformation” is losing ground to increased references to “disinformation.” Our Google search for the term “misinformation” yielded 125 million results, while “disinformation” netted a respectable 67.9 million results.

Even though some people may casually use the terms interchangeably, they have distinct and contrasting meanings.

Misinformation, according to Merriam-Webster, is “incorrect or misleading information,” while it defines disinformation more narrowly and explicitly: “false information deliberately and often covertly spread (as by the planting of rumors) in order to influence public opinion or obscure the truth.”

Webster’s New World College Dictionary, upon which the Associated Press Stylebook relies, lacks an entry for the term misinformation but defines the verb misinform as “to supply with false or misleading information.” It characterizes disinformation as “false information spread deliberately, specifically by a government, in order to mislead enemies or to mold public opinion.”

The Associated Press Stylebook adds this amplification: “The term misinformation refers to false information shared about a particular topic that could be mistaken as truth. It can include honest mistakes, exaggerations, and misunderstandings of facts, as well as disinformation, which refers to misinformation created and spread intentionally as a way to mislead or confuse.”

Some people may fail to make note of the semantic distinction between misinformation and disinformation because the dis- and mis- prefixes are synonymous in connection with some other root words.

Consider the word distrust. As a noun Merriam-Webster defines distrust as the lack or absence of trust, and as a verb it means to have no trust or confidence in a person. The dictionary terms the noun mistrust as a lack of confidence (and identifies distrust as a synonym), while as a verb it means to lack trust or confidence in someone, or to doubt the truth or validity of something or someone. The distinction between distrust and mistrust is so slight as to be inconsequential. Both fundamentally and equally refer to skepticism.

Similarly, Merriam-Webster assigns synonymous meaning to the verbs mislike and dislike. The verb misorder means to arrange items incorrectly, the result of which is disorder — disruption of a systematic arrangement. Neither misorder nor disorder is necessarily intentional — unlike disinformation.

In contrast, some root words take on entirely divergent meanings with “dis” and “mis” prefixes. For example, your boss may appreciate your obtaining a discount (fee reduction), but may be unhappy if your inventory contains a miscount (mathematical error). If you misuse something you’re using it for the wrong purpose or in the wrong way, while if you disuse it, you stop using it altogether.

The prefix dis- is derived from Latin, in which the term meant “away from” or “apart.” In contemporary English use, dis- changes a word into its opposite — distant from the original meaning, evident in terms such as disconnect and disagree.

The prefix mis- originated with a German term that meant “changed from” or “astray.” As an English prefix, it indicates that something is being used or something has occurred incorrectly, as in “misfire,” “misinterpret,” “misspell” and “misbehave.”

Some “mis-” words have no “dis-” counterpart. Something can be mistreated but not distreated; you can misspeak but not disspeak. An object can be misshapen but not disshapen. Even though you may misunderstand something, you can’t possibly disunderstand it. You can disable a piece of equipment, but you can’t misable it. Your phone battery can be discharged but not mischarged. You can disagree but not misagree with someone. That may disappoint (but not misappoint) you. You can disband your organization, but don’t bother trying to misband it. That would create discord, without possibility of miscord. You can disclaim any responsibility for this commentary, but you can’t misclaim it.

We enjoy these chats with you around the water cooler.

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Roger D. wrote:

I’m increasingly noticing what I consider misuse of a phrase involving the word “connection.” I’m referring to the phrase “in connection to.” For example, a U.S. Justice Department news release began with this headline: Four Alleged Fentanyl Traffickers Arrested in Connection to Army Spouse Death. I always thought the proper phrase was “in connection with,” but I’m seeing and hearing more and more news stories talking about something “in connection to” something else. Is that phrasing grammatically correct?

The grammar coach replies:

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