Many use these words interchangeably, which can be right for certain situations, but some would deem a particular word as more appropriate than the other. As what has been said earlier, the context will dictate the proper usage. ‘Error’ and ‘mistake’ fall into the same category. Many say that ‘error’ is more severe. It is due to miscalculation and wrong judgment, that ‘mistake’, on the other hand, is less in gravity, as people normally make mistakes. However, there are also many people who will argue with this dissection. It is highly acceptable to use ‘error’ in formal or technical contexts. In scientific or highly technical terms, the word ‘error’ is more suitable. In the world of computing and programming, ‘error’ is the more fitting term to indicate a mistake, or fault, particularly in coding and processes. ‘System Error’ sounds better than ‘System Mistake’, doesn’t it? ‘Mistake’, on the other hand, is used more in casual English conversation. Though ‘error’ may still be used in exchange, it will often sound unnatural, or technicalese. It would be awkward to say something like: “It was all an error. I am sorry!”, to your girlfriend. The more natural sounding statement would be: “It was all a mistake. I am sorry!”

Both words can be used to mean the same thing. ‘error’ is considered to be much more severe than ‘mistake’. The term ‘error’ is more suitable for more formal contexts, while ‘mistake’ is used more extensively in casual conversations.

Mistake:1. An error or fault resulting from defective judgment, deficient knowledge, or carelessness. 2. A misconception or misunderstanding. Error :1. An act, assertion, or belief that unintentionally deviates from what is correct, right, or true. 2. The condition of having incorrect or false knowledge. 3. The act or an instance of deviating from an accepted code of behavior. 4. A mistake. this question was asked before and i answered it with an example from my class I asked a qustion at my english class: when does sarah get up? a pupil answered: she get up at six. i repeated his answer: SHE GET UP at six?! he said no she gets up here this is a mistake because he corrected himself . but if he insisted on the same answer and i asked other pupils who repeated the same; here it is an error and i need to reexplain that we add 's' or 'es' to third person singular when using present simple tense i hope this helps

In terms of etymology, the words are more deeply differentiated. The word ‘error’ came from the latin word ‘errorem’ or ‘errare’, which means ‘to wander or stray’. The root of the word ‘mistake’, nails the meaning more correctly. It is from the old Norse word, ‘mistaka’, which means ‘mis’ (wrong) and ‘taka’ (take). As a whole, it means ‘wrongly taken’. Summary: 1. Some may consider ‘error’ to be much more severe than ‘mistake’. 2. The term ‘error’ is more suitable for more formal contexts, while ‘mistake’ is used more extensively in casual conversations. 3. Etymology suggests that ‘error’ was from a latin word which means ‘to wander or stray’, while ‘mistake’ is from an old Norse word, which means ‘wrongly taken’. http://www.differencebetween.net/language/difference-between-error-and-mistake/

technical vs humanizing