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despiste

absentmindedness

noun deh-PEES-teh Rare

Also means

mix-up

Usage Note

Despiste derives from despistar (to throw off the scent, to confuse) and describes either a momentary lapse of attention or a habitual tendency to be scatterbrained. Tener un despiste means to have a momentary brain-fade; ser un despiste (used of a person) means to be a scatterbrain. It is informal and very common in everyday Spanish speech.

Examples

"Fue un despiste olvidar las llaves."

Natural Translation

Forgetting the keys was a moment of absentmindedness.

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