误认

误认 almost always carries a 为 wéi or 成 chéng to introduce what something was wrongly taken to BE — 误认为 X / 误认成 X. The bare 误认 alone (without 为 / 成) sounds clipped and is mostly newspaper register. Compare 认错 rèncuò (to recognize wrong, more colloquial).

memory

误 (mistake / wrong) + 认 (to recognize / identify) — 'wrongly recognize.' The 误 prefix is productive: 误读 (misread), 误解 (misunderstand), 误判 (misjudge), 误用 (misuse). Whenever you mean 'wrongly do X' for cognitive verbs, try 误 + verb.