DNA-based computing uses the tendency of nucleotide bases to bind (hybridize) in preferred combinations to do computation. Depending on reaction conditions, oligonucleotides can bind despite noncomplementary base pairs. These mismatched hybridizations are a source of false positives and negatives, which limit the efficiency and scalability of DNA-based computing. The ability of specific base sequences to support error-tolerant Adleman-style computation is analyzed, and criteria are proposed to increase reliability and efficiency. A method is given to calculate reaction conditions from estimates of DNA melting.