भूल (bhool)

noun A feminine noun meaning 'mistake' or 'error'; closely related to the verb भूलना (bhoolnaa, 'to forget'), from which it derives.
Sense 1 : mistake, error
noun, feminine
Synonyms: गलती (galtii), त्रुटि (truti, formal)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You will hear भूल (bhool) in the common idiom भूल-चूक (bhool-chook, 'errors and omissions'), used almost like a legal disclaimer -- shopkeepers and account books traditionally end with भूल-चूक लेनी-देनी (bhool-chook lenii-denii, 'errors and omissions excepted'). This paired-word habit (भूल-चूक) is a nice example of Hindi's love of rhyming word-pairs for a softened, formal tone.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach only for गलती (galtii) and never use भूल (bhool), but भूल (bhool) is common in slightly more careful or written speech, apologies, and set phrases -- it is not rare or purely literary. 2) भूल (bhool) carries a stronger sense of 'oversight, lapse in judgment' than the more neutral, everyday गलती (galtii), which covers any kind of error, including simple factual slip-ups.
Sample Sentences:
यह मेरी भूल थी। This was my mistake.
(yah merii bhool thii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
मुझसे एक बड़ी भूल हो गई। A big mistake happened from me (I made a big mistake).
(mujhse ek badii bhool ho gaii।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
कृपया अपनी भूल सुधार लीजिए। Please correct your mistake.
(kripyaa apnii bhool sudhaar liijie।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
दुकान के हिसाब-किताब के अंत में लिखा था, भूल-चूक लेनी-देनी। At the end of the shop's accounts it was written, 'errors and omissions excepted.'
(dukaan ke hisaab-kitaab ke ant men likhaa thaa, bhool-chook lenii-denii।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
अगर मुझसे कोई भूल हुई हो, तो माफ़ करना। If any mistake has happened from me, please forgive me.
(agar mujhse koii bhool huii ho, to maaf karnaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
अगर उसने वह भूल न की होती, तो नौकरी नहीं जाती। If he hadn't made that mistake, the job wouldn't have been lost.
(agar usne vah bhool n kii hotii, to naukrii nahiin jaatii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Perfective -- Voice: Active
वह अक्सर हिसाब में यही भूल करता है। He often makes this same mistake in accounts.
(vah aksar hisaab men yahii bhool kartaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
बिल में भूल-चूक की पूरी ज़िम्मेदारी दुकानदार की नहीं होती। The shopkeeper is not fully responsible for errors and omissions in the bill.
(bil men bhool-chook kii poorii zimmedaarii dukaandaar kii nahiin hotii।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
यह भूल आगे चलकर बहुत महँगी साबित हो सकती है। This mistake could prove to be very costly later on.
(yah bhool aage chalkar bahut mahangii saabit ho saktii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
दस्तावेज़ों में हुई हर भूल की जाँच की जाएगी। Every mistake made in the documents will be investigated.
(dastaavezon men huii har bhool kii jaanch kii jaaegii।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Passive
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct): भूल (bhool)
(sg.f.oblique): भूल (bhool)
(pl.f.direct): भूलें (bhoolen)
(pl.f.oblique): भूलों (bhoolon)