Words / B2

MISTR-ee/ˈmɪstri/

A mystery is something unexplained, or a crime story: a methods mystery; a murder mystery. Puzzle is lighter; secret is hidden on purpose (already in the dictionary). The missing n is not a plot twist. Adjective: mysterious (already elsewhere). Mix-up: mystic is a spiritual person; myth is a traditional tale (already elsewhere). Do not write mystery for a myth.

Meaning

Something that is not understood or explained; also a story about a crime.

Examples

• “The missing n is a methods mystery, not a plot twist.”
• “A mystery novel featured in the genre unit, which is the crime-story sense.”

Good to know

a mystery; mystery novel / illness. Adjective: mysterious. Trap: mystic / myth. Methods, news, and English. Unexplained thing or a genre, not a god-story.

Near in meaning

puzzle

New