English Grammar
MISTAKE - ERROR - FAULT
The difference in meaning between them.
The words 'mistake', 'error' and 'fault are often confused or misused.
A ‘mistake’ is something incorrect resulting from inadvertence, misguided judgement or a failure to differentiate between two things.
An ‘error’ is something incorrect resulting from lack of knowledge or inaccurate information.
A ‘fault’ refers to blame or responsibility. ‘Fault’ can also refer to imperfections, flaws or defects.
‘Mistake’ and ‘error’ are interchangeable in certain contexts:
For example, documents can contain both errors and mistakes, e.g. in grammar, spelling or details.
| MISTAKE (noun or verb) |
| The word 'mistake' can have different meanings depending on the context: 1) An unintentional wrong action, usually accidental, or through inadvertence or carelessness. A mistake can also be due to occasional lapses or something done too hastily. - « I made a mistake in his phone number. I wrote 243 instead of 245. » - « There’s a mistake in the address. It’s Beach Road not Beacon Road. » - « I made a mistake when I took exit n°13. I read the directions too quickly.» - « He made some careless grammar mistakes in his report.» - « Make sure you check the text for spelling mistakes before you submit it.» 2) Midguided judgement: - « It was a mistake to send the boy to boarding school ; he was very unhappy. » - « Coming here was a mistake ; it was a waste of time. » - « She made the mistake of not taking her doctor's advice.» - « Accepting the offer was a mistake on his part which he regretted later.» - « We made a mistake by giving him too much responibility.» - « Their decision to sell the house was a huge mistake. » 3) Failure to differentiate : - « It’s easy to mistake one twin for the other » - « I mistook your umbrella for mine. I took yours by mistake! » - « Don't mistake the two buildings. The entrances are very similar. » - « I mistook the salt for the sugar! » - « He mistook the cat for a cushion and sat on it!» - « People often mistake her kindness for weakness.» |
| ERROR (noun only) |
| The word 'error' can also have different meanings : 1) Something wrong due to lack of knowledge or inaccurate information: - « It was an error to include ‘good’ in the list of adverbs. ‘Good’ is an adjective. » - « The brochure contains errors concerning the history of the region. » - « The politician's speech contained several factual errors » - « A mechanical error led to a flaw in the product.» - « She has visited the museum yesterday" is a grammatical error. - « The air crash was due to human error. » 2) In computing there can be errors. We write an error message but not a mistake message. - « We lost a week’s work due to a computer error. » - « He detected several errors in the code. » - « Due to a computer error, the meeting was wrongly scheduled. » - « Unfortunately, the computer error was detected too late. » - «The gas company blamed a computer error for the cancellation.» Note: Machines don't make mistakes ; they make errors. Humans can make both. |
| FAULT |
| The word 'fault' can be used to convey different meanings: 1) Blame or responsibility: - « It’s my fault if we’re late. I took a wrong exit and we got lost. » - « Don't worry about forgetting the cake! It's not your fault.» - « It’s Jack’s fault that the dog got out. He left the window open. » - « The actor's poor image is partly the fault of the press.» 2) Weakness or imperfection in a person’s character: - « He has many faults, but dishonesty isn’t one of them. » - « In my opinion Emily’s worst fault is impatience. » - « He loves her in spite of all her faults.» - « Nobody is perfect. We all have our faults.» 3) A defect in a machine, system or design (causing damage or malfunction): - « The car has a serious design fault. » - « The fire was due to an electrical fault. » - « An electrical fault suddenly left us without power. » - « A brake system faultwas the cause of the accident. » |
Note: A blunder is a foolish or embarrassing mistake, especially one resulting from carelessness or
lack of thought e.g. a political blunder.
Synonyms: a botch, a foul-up, a faux-pas, a misstep
"The politician made a blunder by making a premature announcement."