# Error / mistake / fault



## Pulci

<<This is now a composite thread combining six threads on the same topic>>

Please,can you help me?
I need information about mistake,error and fault.It's important, I have to do a final paper for university and it is very difficult!


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## VenusEnvy

What is your paper regarding?

They all mean basically the same thing, but can differ according to context.


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## daviesri

Pulci said:
			
		

> Please,can you help me?
> I need information about mistake,error and fault.It's important, I have to do a final paper for university and it is very difficult!


 
Fault is more related to direct blame than mistake and error.  Mistake and error I would say are interchangeable 99% of the time. 

Example:
It is your fault that I broke my leg. (you are directing blame whether accidental or on purpose)
It is your mistake that caused me to break my leg. (You still may be directing blame but now accidental only)
It is your error that caused me to break my leg. (You still may be directing blame but now accidental only)

I am not sure I have made this easier to understand or more confusing.
Fault has a stronger negative meaning than error or mistake.  It tend to imply you may have done something on purpose.


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## Outsider

I agree with the above, except that I think "error" tends to be used more in contexts like science, where some set of criteria of objectivity is implicit. E.g.: your math teacher might say "there's an error in the formula you wrote", or a doctor might say "the lab made an error in your blood test", or an editor might say "there's a typing error in your article". 
"Mistake" is used more for inadvertent behaviours that produce unwanted consequences.


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## Cath.S.

I'd like to add that_ fault_, when it refers to a moral flaw, cannot be replaced with _error _ or _mistake_. 
e.g. Philip Larkin's poem _That Be The Verse_:
...your mom and dad,
they give you all the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.


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## panjandrum

I'm sure I posted to this before and it's got lost!
Welcome the quotes from Philip Larkin, born and worked not ten miles from me.
A fault, an error, may be caused by all kinds of things in my world - the world of IT.
A mistake is something done by a person.
An error or a fault is something reported by the system and may be caused by something having broken OR by a mistake by a person.
An error may be a mistake identified and reported by the system.


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## crrdm

Hello,
You are always very helpful in this board. I'd like to request your help with the following.  When should I use the word error and when is it better to use mistake? Thanks again for your kind help.


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## cuchuflete

Greetings crrdm,

For me they are usually interchangeable.  Error may be slightly higher register/more formal.  

regards,
Cuchuflete


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## Nick

Errors are more severe than mistakes. A mistake is an accident. An error implies something else, such as neglicence or ignorance -- you should have or could have known better.

The words are not interchangable for me.

Machines never make mistakes, but rather they make errors. People can make both.


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## GenJen54

I agree with Nick here. 

I made many stupid _mistakes_ when I was a teenager.  Looking back, they can mostly be attributed to gross _errors_ in judgement.


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## McGILLette

I'd say that errors happen with computers and such and mistakes are man-made. I also agree that a mistake is usually an accident.


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## LV4-26

May I add my question to crrdm's ?

Would you say "_fatal mistake_" (as you - or computers - say "_fatal error_") ?
Would such a phrase as _I made a fatal mistake_ sound fine in English ?


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## timpeac

LV4-26 said:
			
		

> May I add my question to crrdm's ?
> 
> Would you say "_fatal mistake_" (as you - or computers - say "_fatal error_") ?
> Would such a phrase as _I made a fatal mistake_ sound fine in English ?


 
Interesting question. I think that "fatal error" is already quite well established, as you say, in computer usage before the computer crashes. However it is also quite well established for crimes "the burglar made one fatal error - he didn't wear gloves". Here "fatal" doesn't really mean fatal at all, it just means very serious. A "fatal mistake" _could_ mean this - but is less used I'd say - but you also risk confusion with the literal meaning of "fatal", eg "the construction worker made a fatal mistake" (he tripped up on top of the building and fell to his death).


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## Oros

Error is a mistake, as far as I am concerned.

The word err is also a mistake.

Sometimes I err in writing English in this forum.

That is why we say to err is human.


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## Kelly B

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> For me they are usually interchangeable.  Error may be slightly higher register/more formal.


I agree. I would not automatically view _error _as more serious than _mistake_. I do not think, for example, that "a trivial spelling error" is an oxymoron (except in the cases of certain pet peeves.)


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## cuchuflete

I commit frequent typing errors.  These are mistakes. They are accidental.

If I blame these on the machine, they are apt to be known as errors.  If I take personal credit for them, they may be either errors or mistakes.  

If a machine produces components with the wrong tolerances, that may be the result of human error, or an operator's mistake in the setup of the machine.


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## Nick

LV4-26 said:
			
		

> Would such a phrase as _I made a fatal mistake_ sound fine in English?


Yes, "fatal mistake" is fine. It means a mistake with very serious consequences (eg: downfall of a company, loss of job, death, etc.)

As used in the movie Clue, one of the characters gives herself away as the murderer because of her fatal mistake: she recognized another character who she had supposedly never met before.


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## alc112

A question:
According to what I have read in this thread, should we say "please, correct my errors" instead of "please, correct my mistakes"?


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## Nick

I would say "Please correct my mistakes".


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## cuchuflete

ALC....  Either one is appropriate.

Errors or mistakes merit correction, whether or not they are accidental, intentional, machine made, or the product of human brilliance.


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## panjandrum

For most practical purposes, error and mistake mean the same thing.

For the more impractical and theoretical, there is a difference.

A mistake arises because something has been done wrongly, someone has goofed.

An error may occur because it is inevitable. There is always some uncertainty, or expected error, in any measurement. Anyone who has been involved in practical experimental work, or in stats and surveys, will need no further explanation.

Unfortunately, because error is used and acknowledged as inevitable in this scientific/academic world, *an* error has come to be regarded as more classy than a mistake.

The total closedown of all network services was due to an error of judgement on the part of the circuit provider's service personnel.
... which, being translated into you-and-me-speak, means ...
The idiot engineer made a stupid mistake and pulled switches he'd been told not to touch.

crrdm & alc: Please be human and make mistakes. We will enjoy helping you to correct them  Errors are harder to understand


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## drei_lengua

To me these words are synonyms.  However, there are certain verbs/prepositions that go better with the former or latter.  For example, we say "to make a mistake", "by mistake", and "in error".

Can anyone think of any difference between the meanings of these two words?  Any nuances?  

Thoughts?

drei


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## eMurray

They are the same only that you are more likely going to hear error on a computer and mistake in a school. Anyways it is the same. It's just error is more sophisticated.


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## panjandrum

Error has a wider range of meaning than mistake.
As an example, errors in measurements are inevitable, even where there has been no mistake.

Have a look at these definitions ...

mistake

error


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## cuchuflete

The error of his ways...

Try substituting 'mistake'.  In falls with a thud.

In market research design, one is concerned with sampling error, and not with sampling mistake.

Error may be programmatic, ongoing,  while mistake is most frequently episodic.  

Error may be singular or carry a plural sense, while mistake is 
a typically singular noun.


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## nycphotography

Based on the above, I would then conclude that:  (excepting set phrases which depend on one or the other)

Error tends to be more impersonal, and mistake tends to be more personal.

Error exists in everything, to some degree.  But a mistake is clearly made by some culpable party.


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## Thomas1

Do you think that in general we make mistakes due to our misjudgment and carelessness but after reconsidering we can see that we made them and usually understand what was wrong and an error seems to be beyond our ability to see it hence some say that someone is _in error_ and not in mistake?


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## danalto

Following the new trend of our Forum , I decided to ask about those two words.
Is there any difference between them?
Thank you for your answers!


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## panjandrum

In many contexts the two are synonymous - but not always.

<<Link no longer required>>


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## danalto

I swear I looked for it!  Sorry and thank you!


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## panjandrum

Hey - no need to apologise 
All part of the service - thanks for looking.


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## Lucretia

Hello again,
Here is my previous message, which has been answered. This time I’d like to get your comments on my using the word *mistake.* Is it correct or should it be *error*? Quote:
I don’t know where is the *mistake* in the following sentences from a book (if there is any):
_Surveys show that 60% of the population *sleeps* between 7 and 8 hours a night. The other 40% *sleep* less, or more_
_._
Could you also elaborate on the difference between the words?
Thank you.


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## mariposita

Lucretia said:


> Hello again,
> Here is my previous message, which has been answered. This time I’d like to get your comments on my using the word *mistake.* Is it correct or should it be *error*? Quote:
> I don’t know where is the *mistake* is in the following sentences from a book (if there is any):
> _Surveys show that 60% of the population *sleeps* between 7 and 8 hours a night. The other 40% *sleep* less, or more_
> _._
> Could you also elaborate on the difference between the words?
> Thank you.


 
I believe that you could use error or mistake interchangeably in this context. The only difference between the two words that I can discern is that mistake seems to imply a subjective or human sort of lapse. A computer doesn't make a mistake, a misguided person does.


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## .   1

I can find no difference at all between error and mistake.

.,,


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## Lucretia

Thank you very much.


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## Kindergarden

Sorry I was for a long time very confused about the meaning of "error" and "mistake". Here I want to ask about their real meaning and what is the difference between them? Thank you.


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## cuchuflete

Welcome to the Forums, Kindergarden,

Have a look at these threads, which discuss the differences:

<<Links no longer required - threads have been merged>>


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## e.jalal_33

Kindergarden,

I think that both terms have almost the same meaning. However, the context in which these terms are used, should be taken into account. The word "error" is mostly used in computing or in technology in general. while "mistake" has to do with the process of learning.
This interpretation is of course not the final one concerning these terms


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## omelhajj

I want to know please the difference between error and mistake .
please help me in my assignment.
Thank You


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## JamesM

Hello, omelhajj. Welcome to the forum!

There are several threads on this topic already. I suggest you read through these and then post any specific question you might have after reading them:

<<Links no longer required, thanks - threads merged>>


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## river

I found this interesting:

"Mistakes are generally one-time-only events. The speaker who makes a mistake is able to recognize it as a mistake and correct it if necessary. An error, on the other hand, is systematic-- it is likely to occur repeatedly and is not recognized by the learner as an error" 
ARROGANT.POLYGLOT: *Error vs*. *Mistake* in L2 Acquisition


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## sloopjc

river said:


> I found this interesting:
> 
> "Mistakes are generally one-time-only events. The speaker who makes a mistake is able to recognize it as a mistake and correct it if necessary. An error, on the other hand, is systematic-- it is likely to occur repeatedly and is not recognized by the learner as an error"
> ARROGANT.POLYGLOT: *Error vs*. *Mistake* in L2 Acquisition



I find that interesting too - because I disagree!

I'm finding it more the case, as in a previous thread I just left, that context and interchangeability seem to go hand in hand. Therefore, it is usually a matter of opinion. I could (will) reply by saying that mistakes are common and frequent amongst illiterate journalists (as an example only), whereby errors are one-time-only events that exist in publication.


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## lazarus1907

According to the Oxford Dictionary:


> *mistake*  an action or an opinion that is not correct, or that produces a result that you did not want
> *error *a mistake, especially one that causes problems or affects the result of sth


In other words, most of the time they are interchangeable, but mistake can probably used in wider contexts. On the other hand, mistake comes form Old Norse, and error from Latin, so the latter one tends to be used in more scientific (or classy) contexts.


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## panjandrum

Today's thread is now merged with previous threads on the same topic.
There are examples in earlier posts of situations where error and mistake have quite distinct meanings.


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## susantash

river said:


> I found this interesting:
> 
> "Mistakes are generally one-time-only events. The speaker who makes a mistake is able to recognize it as a mistake and correct it if necessary. An error, on the other hand, is systematic-- it is likely to occur repeatedly and is not recognized by the learner as an error"
> ARROGANT.POLYGLOT: *Error vs*. *Mistake* in L2 Acquisition


 
I totally agree with that. That's what I've been taught in my TTC days and to my knowledge they* aren't* interchangeable in the context of L2 acquisition.


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## emma42

I don't agree.  The situation is much more complicated than that. * Mistake* and *error *are interchangeable in many contexts, and, as Panjandrum has said, have distinct meanings in other contexts.

I would also not trust the opinions of anyone with the name "Arrogant Polyglot", without detailed research.


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## macolina

you make an *error* when you do not know the matter in question

you make a *mistake* when you are tired, not concentrated enough and 

you _do_ know the matter in question

Do you agree?


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## sloopjc

macolina said:


> you make an *error* when you do not know the matter in question
> 
> you make a *mistake* when you are tired, not concentrated enough and
> 
> you _do_ know the matter in question
> 
> Do you agree?




Mistake - mistook /to misunderstand, misapprehend. You can make mistakes by not knowing any different (even if fatigue causes you to make mistakes) by not understanding correctly in the first place, so I disagree. An _error _is more a deviation from the truth, in my opinion. In print for example, a written article may contain spelling mistakes, but the factual content may contain errors - for example: 

"His daugter married a 37 year old Greek tycoon in 1997."

Where _daughter_ is a print spelling *mistake*, the *error* would  exist in the accuracy of the description attributed to the wealthy, 37 year-old.


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## sloopjc

macolina said:


> you make an *error* when you do not know the matter in question




Forgot to add that  (My mistake!)


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## river

cuchuflete said:


> I commit frequent typing errors. These are mistakes. They are accidental.


 
Can't we distinguish between the random typing _mistake_ (I mispelled "accomodate" once in my document--typo) and the systematic spelling _error_ (I mispelled "accomodate" throughout the document--I think it's spelled that way).


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