I misunderstood the sign.

When I was younger, I used to hunt with my family. Many times, we would come across property that was posted "No trespassing. Violators will be prosecuted." At the time, I thought it read "Persecuted." I thought persecuted meant "to put someone to death," similar to what happened to the early Christians. I thought that was a VERY severe penalty for trespassing.
😳

What is something you read or heard that you had a misconception when you were younger?