fehlschlagen

Fehlschlagen is a German verb meaning to fail or be unsuccessful. It is used to describe plans, attempts, methods, tests, or ventures that do not achieve the desired result. The action is intransitive and commonly appears in constructions such as Es schlägt fehl or Der Plan schlägt fehl. The simple past is schlug fehl (Der Plan schlug fehl), and the past participle is fehlgeschlagen. The perfect tense is typically formed with haben: Die Pläne haben fehlgeschlagen.

Etymology and form: The verb combines the prefix fehl- (meaning wrong, lacking) with schlagen (to strike). The noun Fehlschlag means a failure or misfire, which underscores the sense of something not hitting its target or goal.

Usage notes: Fehlschlagen is commonly used for objective outcomes like plans, experiments, methods, or attempts. It can describe failures of institutions or projects as well as personal efforts, though it often conveys a failure of a defined endeavor rather than a general deficiency in a person. Examples include: Der Plan schlägt fehl; Der Versuch hat fehlgeschlagen; Meine Bewerbung ist fehlgeschlagen.

Synonyms and nuances: Related verbs include scheitern (to fail, often broadly or structurally), misslingen (to fail in a more neutral sense of not succeeding), and versagen (to fail in the sense of malfunction or failure of ability). Fehlschlagen emphasizes that a specific attempt or approach did not achieve its objective, whereas scheitern can imply a broader collapse or defeat.

See also: Scheitern, Misslingen, Versagen, Fehlschlag (noun).