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” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,296 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,296
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Culpability; the responsibility for a blameworthy event.

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)

Where “fault” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for fault is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /fɔːlt/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,296 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 14 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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

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.

Using “fault”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is F-A-U-L-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /fɔːlt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “fut” - see the side-by-side comparison. fault vs fut
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list