fail
/feɪl/verb, noun, adjective
fail is spelled F-A-I-L: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 41 times per million words in written English, the 2,438th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, fail means “To be unsuccessful” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in fail?
| Letters | 4: F-A-I-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 41 times per million words; the 2,438th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is fail?
Fail appears 41 times per million words in written English, the 2,438th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce fail?
- /feɪl/
Fail has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-fail.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with fail?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as fail.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: alif.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of fail
- fails present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- failing participle, present
- failed participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
- more fail comparative
- most fail superlative
- feal
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fail mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To be unsuccessful.
Throughout my life, I have always failed.
- 2
Not to achieve a particular stated goal. (Usage note: The direct object of this word is usually an infinitive.)
The truck failed to start.
- 3
To neglect.
The report fails to take into account all the mitigating factors.
- 4
Of a machine, etc.: to cease to operate correctly.
After running five minutes, the engine failed.
- 5
To be wanting to, to be insufficient for, to disappoint, to desert; to disappoint one's expectations.
I've failed my parents many times growing up.
- 6
To receive one or more non-passing grades in academic pursuits.
I failed English last year.
- 7
To give a student a non-passing grade in an academic endeavour.
The professor failed me because I did not complete any of the course assignments.
- 8
obsoleteTo miss attaining; to lose.
noun
- 1
A failure, especially of a financial transaction (a termination of an action).
- 2
A failing grade in an academic examination.
- 3
USslangA failure (something incapable of success).
- 4
slangPoor quality; substandard workmanship.
The project was full of fail.
- 5
A piece of turf cut from grassland.
adjective
- 1
USslangUnsuccessful; inadequate; unacceptable in some way.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fail in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | échouer, rater , faillir , négliger |
| German | scheitern, keinen Erfolg haben, ohne Erfolg bleiben, nicht gelingen, missglücken , fehlschlagen |
| Portuguese | falhar, fracassar , deixar de, não conseguir , pifar |
| Spanish | fracasar, zozobrar, escollar , negar, no conseguir |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does fail come from?
Inherited from Middle English failen, borrowed from Old French falir, from Vulgar Latin *fallire, alteration of Latin fallere (“to deceive, disappoint”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰāl- (“to lie, deceive”) or Proto-Indo-European *(s)gʷʰh₂el- (“to stumble”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).