Felaktig

Felaktig is a Swedish adjective meaning incorrect, faulty, or erroneous. It is used to describe statements, measurements, data, arguments, or beliefs that do not align with truth, facts, or established standards. In English, it is commonly translated as incorrect or faulty.

Etymology and formation: The word combines fel, meaning fault or error, with the suffix -aktig, which forms adjectives that express a characteristic or quality. The result conveys “characterized by fault” or “containing fault.”

Inflection and forms: Felaktig follows regular Swedish adjective inflection patterns. In the singular common gender it is felaktig, in the singular neuter felaktigt, and in the plural felaktiga. It can appear attributively before a noun (felaktiga uppgifter) or predicatively after a linking verb (uppgiften var felaktig). The adverbial form is felaktigt, as in Det var felaktigt att anta detta. The related noun is felaktighet (incorrectness), with plural felaktigheter.

Usage and nuance: Felaktig is a neutral to formal term, common in technical, scientific, legal, and journalistic Swedish, but also found in everyday language for emphasis. It often describes incorrect information or faulty reasoning. Typical collocations include felaktiga uppgifter (incorrect data), felaktiga påståenden (erroneous claims), and felaktiga slutsatser (faulty conclusions).

See also: oriktig, fel, felaktighet, rättelse, korrigera.