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List of common misconceptions

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
1 min read
Source updated September 4, 2026

Each entry on these lists of common misconceptions is phrased as a correction; the misconceptions themselves are implied rather than explicitly stated. These entries are concise summaries, and the main subject articles contain more detail.

Common misconceptions are widely accepted viewpoints or factoids that are actually false. They often arise from conventional wisdom (such as old wives' tales), stereotypes, superstitions, logical fallacies, misunderstandings of science, or the popularization of pseudoscience and pseudohistory. Some misconceptions are also considered urban legends and may contribute to moral panics.

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This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “List of common misconceptions”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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