Misunderstanding misunderstanding, when we take a message in a way the sender did not mean, is common. We hear the words. We think we know what they mean. We act on that. Later we find out we were wrong. The words were the same. The meaning we made was different. Misunderstanding is not always someone’s fault. It is often a gap between contexts, between assumptions, between the world in one person’s head and the world in another’s. First, we receive a message—spoken, written, or gestured. Then we interpret it. We use what we already know. We fill in what was not said. Sometimes we fill in wrong. We assume the other person shares our background. We assume the word means what it usually means for us. When those assumptions fail, we misunderstand. So reducing misunderstanding often means checking: "Do you mean…​?" "When you say X, I hear Y. Is that right?" Misunderstanding can be corrected. We can ask. We can repeat back what we heard. We can give an example and see if the other person agrees. When we pass knowledge on, we try to reduce misunderstanding by using clear words, examples, and chances to ask. But some misunderstanding will always remain. Knowing that keeps us humble and ready to check again. When did you last discover you had misunderstood? How did you find out?