Do not hesitate to correct a mistake as soon as you realize you have made one.
If a mistake is corrected promptly, it causes no harm.
However, if you try to hide it, it will become even more shameful, and you will suffer more as a result.
If you have said something you should not have, explain yourself immediately, and you will not carry any guilt afterward.
If someone still complains after your clarification, respond by saying:
“I have already acknowledged my mistake, and there is nothing more I can do.
I spoke without thinking, so consider it as if it was never said.
Everyone makes mistakes when speaking from time to time.”
(Yamamoto Tsunetomo, 1659-1719)