irreführen

Irreführen is a German verb meaning to mislead or to lead someone into error, typically by presenting false information or deceptive appearances. It denotes an intentional act of causing another person to come to a wrong conclusion. The action is transitive and takes a direct object: jemande irreführen. The related noun is Irreführung, referring to misdirection or misguidance. The common phrase in die Irre führen, meaning to lead someone astray, is frequently used in both everyday and formal language.

Etymology and usage notes: Irreführen is formed from irren (to err) and führen (to lead). The prefix ir- conveys error rather than a separable prefix; the phrase in die Irre führen preserves the sense of leading into error. The verb can appear in various tenses and aspects like other German verbs (e.g., er irrt, irreführte, hat irreführt).

Usage considerations: The term is typically employed when describing deliberate manipulation, misinformation, or deceptive conduct in contexts such as politics, advertising, journalism, or personal interactions. It can also appear with sich irreführen lassen to indicate being misled: Man lässt sich von falschen Behauptungen irreführen.

See also: Täuschen, Lügen, Betrug, Irreführung der Öffentlichkeit. Examples include: Der Sprecher irreführte das Publikum mit fehlerhaften Zahlen; Verbraucher sollten sich nicht von irreführender Werbung täuschen lassen.