范畴错误（category mistake）、范畴失误、范畴谬误，是指将既有的属性归属到不可能应该拥有该属性的对象上，为语义学或存在论的错误。

例如，「那本书的生意永眠了」的描述在语法学上正确，但却是句无意义的戏谑，顶多可以看成是某种比喩。理由是这句描述错误地将属性「永眠」归属到「生意」上、也将属性「生意」错误归属到「书」之殊型上。

范畴错误是吉伯特‧赖尔（Gilbert Ryle）在著作《心的概念》（1949年），为了去除笛卡儿主义形而上学所造成关于心的本质的混乱，而引入的用语。依照赖尔的主张，将心视为灵性实体所形成的对象，是错误的。理由是为了表示倾向性或能力的集合，使用术语「实体」是没有意义的。许多采用赖尔范畴错误概念的哲学者，对何者该是范畴错误何者不是见解各有出入。

A category mistake, or category error, is a semantic or ontological error in which things belonging to a particular category are presented as if they belong to a different category, or, alternatively, a property is ascribed to a thing that could not possibly have that property. An example is the metaphor "time crawled", which if taken literally is not just false but a category mistake. To show that a category mistake has been committed one must typically show that once the phenomenon in question is properly understood, it becomes clear that the claim being made about it could not possibly be true.