Meaning & Origin
“Barking up the wrong tree” means following a mistaken lead or accusing the wrong person — like a hunting dog barking at an empty tree while the prey is elsewhere. It’s a long‑standing American idiom that spread into general English.
Pronunciation Guide
- barking — BAR‑king.
- wrong — rhymes with “song.”
- tree — long “ee,” as in “see.”
- Natural rhythm: BARK‑ing up the WRONG TREE.
Usage & Sentence Examples
Use it to say someone’s focus or suspicion is misplaced.
- Blaming design for churn is barking up the wrong tree — activation is the real issue.
- If you’re emailing support about billing, you’re barking up the wrong tree. Write to finance.
- Police realized they were barking up the wrong tree after the new footage arrived.
- Arguing about price is barking up the wrong tree; customers want reliability.
- We’re barking up the wrong tree by optimizing ads before fixing onboarding.
- He kept barking up the wrong tree until the data proved otherwise.
Synonyms
chase the wrong lead · misdirect your efforts · accuse the wrong person · be off base · follow a red herring · look in the wrong place
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