Fail

How to spell fail

4 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce fail

What does fail mean?

1. verbTo be unsuccessful in an attempt, or to neglect to do something expected.
2. nounA result of being unsuccessful, especially a grade below the passing standard.

Fail in a sentence

• verb

  If the brakes fail, pull the handbrake slowly.

• noun

  A score below forty counts as a fail on this exam.

• verb

  You must not fail to lock the office before leaving.

• noun

  The inspector recorded a fail for the worn tyres.

Where does fail come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word fail entered English in the thirteenth century from Old French faillir, meaning 'to be lacking' or 'to come short', which in turn descended from the Latin verb fallere, literally 'to deceive', 'to disappoint', or 'to trip up'. The original Latin sense of deceiving softened over time into the idea of letting someone down or simply not succeeding. The same fallere root branches into a whole family of English words, including 'false', 'fallacy', 'fault', and even 'fallible', all of which carry a trace of that idea of falling short of the truth or the mark. Because the spelling settled with the French 'ai' digraph, fail keeps the same vowel pattern as its relatives 'frail' and 'rail', which makes it one of the more predictable words to spell. By the late Middle Ages it was firmly established in English in both the sense of running short of something and the sense of being unsuccessful.

How the word is built

• fail (from Latin fallere: to deceive, disappoint)