My bad is a slang way of saying “my mistake” or “sorry, that was me”. It is especially common in American English: people use it to admit a small slip quickly and casually among friends. In a work email, at a job interview or after a serious mistake, a neutral Sorry, my mistake or I apologise is better.
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My bad.; My bad, + clause; (neutral) sorry, my mistake; it was my fault that + clause
- Oops, my bad, I sent you the wrong link. Here's the right one.
- 'You're sitting in my seat.' 'Oh, my bad, I thought this was row 12.'
What changed
First versionOh, I'm guilty, I took your pen by mistake.
RevisionOh, my bad, I took your pen by mistake.
I'm guilty may sound like a way to take the blame, but guilty is about real wrongdoing: in the eyes of the law or your own conscience. For picking up someone's pen by mistake, a light apology is enough: my bad or my mistake. Only I'm guilty was replaced.
My bad usually stands alone as a short reply. In conversation you may also hear That's my bad, but it isn't built into a longer sentence. To say whose fault something was, use fault: It was my fault that we were late. You also talk about someone else's mistake with fault: It's his fault, not yours.
Your turn
I set the alarm for the wrong time, so it was ___ that we missed the train.
Show the answer
my fault — The pattern it was … that needs an ordinary noun phrase: my fault. My bad is a short casual reply, as in Oops, my bad! It doesn't go into a longer sentence with that.
You took someone else's thing or sat in someone else's seat by mistake. Write a short reply with my bad and explain how it happened.
Oh, my bad, I took your umbrella because it looks exactly like mine.
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