erroneous vs on the wrong track

erroneous

adj
  • Derived from an error. 

  • Mistaken. 

  • Containing an error; inaccurate. 

  • Deviating from the requirements of the law, but without a lack of legal authority, thus not illegal. 

on the wrong track

prep
  • using the wrong general approach to a particular task or problem; pursuing something in an unpromising way 

How often have the words erroneous and on the wrong track occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )