distracter

C2+ Topic:Communication

US /dɪsˈtræktər/ UK /dɪsˈtraktə/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a wrong but plausible answer option in a multiple-choice test

A well-crafted distracter mirrors a common student misconception.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a wrong but plausible... distractordecoy foilred herring

Opposites

answer key

Word family

Related forms distract distraction distracted

Etymology

From distract + -er; distract from Latin distractus, past participle of distrahere ('to pull apart'), from dis- ('apart') + trahere ('to draw, pull').

distrahere Latin trahere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Communication Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# distracter

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /dɪsˈtræktər/
**IPA (UK):** /dɪsˈtraktə/

## Meanings
1. a wrong but plausible answer option in a multiple-choice test

## Examples
- A well-crafted distracter mirrors a common student misconception.

## Synonyms
- distractor
- decoy
- foil
- red herring

## Antonyms
- answer
- key

## Related Forms
- distract
- distraction
- distracted

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: distrahere
- Root: trahere - to pull

## Etymology
From distract + -er; distract from Latin distractus, past participle of distrahere ('to pull apart'), from dis- ('apart') + trahere ('to draw, pull').

## AI Etymology
Distracter is from distract + -er; distract from Latin distractus, past participle of distrahere ('to pull apart'), from dis- ('apart') + trahere ('to draw, pull'). The ancestry passes through Latin distrahere and Latin trahere. The prefix dis- often marks separation, reversal, or negation in Latin and English formations, helping to explain the word's surface structure; the suffix -er marks an agent, instrument, or associated person, so the English form is shaped by recognizable word formation as well as by its inherited or borrowed base. In present use as a noun, it means "a wrong but plausible answer option in a multiple-choice test", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include distract, distraction, and distracted.

## Topics
- Communication
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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