Faute

Faute is a French noun meaning fault, error, deficiency, or wrongdoing. It denotes a departure from a standard, an act of fault, or blameworthy conduct. The word is feminine (la faute) and is used in phrases such as faire une faute (to make a mistake) and fautif/fautive (at fault or defective).

In law, faute refers to fault or negligence that gives rise to liability. Civil liability often rests on proving fault; it can be intentional (faute intentionnelle) or negligent (faute légère). In professional contexts, the term faute professionnelle denotes professional misconduct or errors that breach standards. Some legal frameworks also use terms like faute lourde to indicate gross negligence.

In sports, faute means a foul or rule infraction. It covers personal fouls and other violations of the game’s rules. In tennis, a service fault (faute de service) ends the attempt; a double faute occurs when both serves fail.

In everyday usage, faute appears in expressions related to moral or practical evaluation: la faute morale (moral fault), la faute d’orthographe (spelling error), or faute de frappe (typographical error). It can also describe responsibility for a misstep or error in judgment.

Translations of faute vary by context. It can be rendered as fault, mistake, deficiency, or blame in English. Faute is a versatile term in French, spanning law, sport, linguistics, and ethics, and it conveys deviation from expected standards or responsibility for an error.