fault

/fɔːlt/

//fɔːlt// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"fault" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“fault” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,296. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,296
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Culpability; the responsibility for a blameworthy event.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fault · fault · English

fault · rank #2,296 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,296
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH faster

Nearest frequency peer: faster (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “fault”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “fault” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

fault vs fut
60% similar
fault vs full
60% similar
fault vs felt
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for fault
PropertyValue
Headwordfault
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fɔːlt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#2,296
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “fault”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).faultlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “faster” (#2,295), “fill” (#2,297), “factors” (#2,294). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fault” is #2,296. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around fault (IPA /fɔːlt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,296 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 14 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for fault, with forms such as "afult", "falut", and "faullt". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "fut", "full", "felt", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English faute, faulte, from Anglo-Norman faute, Old French faute, from Vulgar Latin *fallita (“shortcoming”), feminine of *fallitus, in place of Latin falsus, perfect passive participle of fallō (“deceive”). Displaced native Middle English schul… The correct English form is fault, spelled F-A-U-L-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Culpability; the responsibility for a blameworthy event.
  2. 2
    A defect, imperfection, or weakness; more severe than a flaw.
  3. 3
    A defect, imperfection, or weakness; more severe than a flaw.
  4. 4
    A defect, imperfection, or weakness; more severe than a flaw.
  5. 5
    A defect, imperfection, or weakness; more severe than a flaw.
  6. 6
    A mistake or error.
  7. 7
    A mistake or error.
  8. 8
    A mistake or error.
  9. 9
    A mistake or error.
  10. 10
    A point at which something is divided, interrupted, or disconnected.
  11. 11
    A point at which something is divided, interrupted, or disconnected.
  12. 12
    A point at which something is divided, interrupted, or disconnected.
  13. 13
    A point at which something is divided, interrupted, or disconnected.
  14. 14
    want; lack; absence

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how fault appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. No, don't blame yourself. It's my fault that we lost the game.
  2. I told them the pie was still too hot. If they burn their tongues, that's their fault.

Etymology

From Middle English faute, faulte, from Anglo-Norman faute, Old French faute, from Vulgar Latin *fallita (“shortcoming”), feminine of *fallitus, in place of Latin falsus, perfect passive participle of fallō (“deceive”). Displaced native Middle English schuld, schuild (“fault”) (from Old English scyld (“fault”)), Middle English lac (“fault, lack”) (from Middle Dutch lak (“lack, fault”)), Middle English last (“fault, vice”) (from Old Norse lǫstr (“fault, vice, crime”)). Compare French faute (“fault, foul”), Portuguese falta (“lack, shortage”) and Spanish falta (“lack, absence”). More at fail, false.

This word in other languages

culpa(Español)faute(Français)Schuld(Deutsch)defeito(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • afult
  • falut
  • faullt
  • faultt
  • fautl
  • ffault
  • fualt

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of fault - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

afult2falut2faullt1faultt1fautl2ffault1fualt2
Edit distance from "fault"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "fault"?
"fault" is spelled F-A-U-L-T. The IPA pronunciation is /fɔːlt/.
What does "fault" mean?
As a noun, "fault" means: Culpability; the responsibility for a blameworthy event.
What words are commonly confused with "fault"?
"fault" is commonly confused with "fut", "full", "felt". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fault"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fault" is /fɔːlt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "fault"?
From Middle English faute, faulte, from Anglo-Norman faute, Old French faute, from Vulgar Latin *fallita (“shortcoming”), feminine of *fallitus, in place of Latin falsus, perfect passive participle of fallō (“deceive”). Displaced native Middle Eng... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "fault", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

films#2,298mixed#2,305phase#2,306smile#2,316

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

urban7 variantstaxes7 variantssplit7 variantsvotes7 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list