Meaning trap
mix up
cause confusion
To make a situation, issue, or discussion more confusing or complicated, often unintentionally.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
To make a situation, issue, or discussion more confusing or complicated, often unintentionally.
'mix up' also has the more basic meaning 'confuse two things'; this is the advanced sense.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
- Bringing up unrelated topics will only mix up the discussion and make it harder to reach a conclusion.discourse
- Introducing conflicting data at this stage could mix up the debate and distract from the main point.IELTS speaking
Fix the pattern
Pattern: mix up + object (abstract: issue, situation, debate, argument)
WrongDon't mix up the things more.
RightDon't mix things up even more.
It's separable — 'mix things up'; 'even more' reads more naturally than 'the things more'.
Patternmix up + object (abstract: issue, situation, debate, argument)
Use it right
Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.
'Mix up' compactly means throw into confusion; the formal version is heavy.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
mix up + matterseverythingthingsthe issuepeople
Don't confuse it
Unlike the B1 senses, which refer to confusing two things or physically combining them, this sense is abstract and evaluative, focusing on making a situation or issue more confusing overall.
Related
- mix up (confuse two things) — 'mix up' also has the more basic meaning 'confuse two things'; this is the advanced sense.