How do you say “Barking up the wrong tree” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is faire fausse route, which literally means “to take the wrong road”. English speakers use barking up the wrong tree to mean to be pursuing a mistaken idea, person or course of action. Native speakers use 'faire fausse route' for following the wrong lead or idea. If the context specifically involves blaming or demanding something from the wrong person, 'se tromper d'adresse' is often preferred. It is informal, standard and common in everyday French.
Closest natural French
faire fausse route
/fɛʁ fos ʁut/
- Literal meaning
- “to take the wrong road”
- Register
- informal, standard
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Close equivalent
88 out of 100
What a native French speaker would actually say
The English idiom 'barking up the wrong tree' draws on hunting imagery where hunting hounds believe they have cornered a raccoon or other prey up a tree, only for the animal to have already fled elsewhere. It paints a colorful picture of wasted effort directed at the wrong place or target.
French avoids the canine imagery entirely, leaning instead into navigational and geographical metaphors. 'Faire fausse route' (taking the wrong route) covers most general contexts where someone is following an incorrect line of reasoning. When the idiom is used confrontationally to mean 'you're picking on the wrong person,' French speakers will naturally pivot to 'se tromper d'adresse' ('you've got the wrong address').
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in French?
se tromper d'adresse
Literally: “to get the wrong address”
Best when accusing, targeting, or asking something of the wrong individual.
être sur une fausse piste
Literally: “to be on a false trail”
Common in investigations or when looking for the cause of a problem.
se tromper de cible
Literally: “to mistake one's target”
Emphasizes that your efforts or criticisms are directed at the wrong entity.
Don't translate it literally
aboyer au mauvais arbre
This is an unnatural, word-for-word calque of the English hunting idiom that makes no sense in French.
Word-for-word versions like these are understood as literal statements in French, not as expressions.
In context
English
The detectives spent weeks barking up the wrong tree before finding the real culprit.
French
Les enquêteurs ont fait fausse route pendant des semaines avant de trouver le vrai coupable.
English
If you think I'm going to do your work for you, you're barking up the wrong tree.
French
Si tu crois que je vais faire ton travail à ta place, tu fais fausse route.
Related expressions
- What “Barking up the wrong tree” means in English
- Hit the nail on the head, To be exactly right.
- A wild goose chase, A pointless, fruitless search.
Last reviewed 2026-09-11