faute

\fot\

/\fot\/ noun

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

The verdict

“faute” has 6 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #874. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#874
frequency rank, French
3,276
“F” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Manquement plus ou moins grave à un devoir, à une loi, à une règle, à un usage, à une convenance.

Corpus desk

Index FR-faute · faute · French

faute · rank #874 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #874
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,276
  • PHOTO-FINISH faits

Nearest frequency peer: faits (-1 rank slots)

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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “faute”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “faute” sits against the nearest ranked French headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

faute vs fût
40% similar
faute vs faux
60% similar
faute vs fête
60% similar

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

Key facts for faute
PropertyValue
Headwordfaute
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\fot\
Letters5
Frequency rank#874
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “faute” sits in French 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). faute lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around faute (IPA \fot\), anoun. Corpus frequency is #874 among 3,276 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for faute, with forms such as "afute", "fatue", and "fauet". 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, "fût", "faux", "fête", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is faute, spelled F-A-U-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Manquement plus ou moins grave à un devoir, à une loi, à une règle, à un usage, à une convenance.
  2. 2
    Péché.
  3. 3
    Adultère.
  4. 4
    Manquement contre les règles de l'art ; imperfection dans un ouvrage.
  5. 5
    Manque ; manque de vivres, disette.
  6. 6
    Violation des règles du jeu.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. En reconstruisant, par une pensée, le tableau de ses jeunes années, don Juan s’aperçut qu’il lui serait difficile de trouver la bonté de son père en faute.
  2. Chez d'autres, le manque d'habitude de lire typographiquement produit le même résultat; des fautes évidentes leur échappent sur trois épreuves, et ils les taxent de fautes typographiques.

Synonyms

erreur

This word in other languages

mistake(English)falta(Español)Fehltritt(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • afute
  • fatue
  • fauet
  • fautte
  • ffaute
  • fuate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of faute - 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.

afute2fatue2fauet2fautte1ffaute1fuate2
Edit distance from "faute"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "faute"?
"faute" is spelled F-A-U-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is \fot\.
What does "faute" mean?
As a noun, "faute" means: Manquement plus ou moins grave à un devoir, à une loi, à une règle, à un usage, à une convenance.
What words are commonly confused with "faute"?
"faute" is commonly confused with "fût", "faux", "fête". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "faute"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "faute" is \fot\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "faute" come from?
"faute" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 French words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

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

faits#873style#888union#858créer#895

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

sang6 variantsrend6 variantspourra6 variantscoeur6 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "faute". Here's where to go from here.

  • "faute" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "fût". View pair
  • 6 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #874 among French headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more French words in the "F" letter cohort. F–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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