Basic Details
Word: Fault
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Responsibility for a mistake or for something bad that happened; also a defect in something, or a crack in the Earth's crust.
Synonyms: mistake, error, flaw, defect
Antonyms: merit, strength
How to Spell Fault
Syllables: fault
Tricky part: The vowel sound is spelt au, and an l comes before the t. Students write falt or faut.
Watch out for: falt, faut, fawlt
Memory tip: Fault and vault share their last four letters, a-u-l-t. Change the v of vault to f and you have fault.
Idioms and Phrases
- to a fault: so much that it becomes a problem Example: "My grandfather is generous to a fault and gives away his last rupee."
Usage Examples
Example 1: It was my fault that we missed the train.
Example 2: The engineer traced the fault to a loose wire.
Example 3: Nobody is without a fault or two.
Fun Fact
In geology a fault is a crack in the Earth's crust where rocks move; the Himalayas lie along major faults, which is why the region has frequent earthquakes.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word fault as used in the sentence:
The mechanic found a fault in the brakes before the long drive to Ooty.
a) design
b) repair
c) strength
d) defect
Show answer
d) defect. A fault in the brakes is a defect, something wrong with them.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Nobody wanted to admit it was their falt that the class trophy had slipped from the shelf and cracked into three pieces during the break.
a) admit
b) falt
c) pieces
d) trophy
Show answer
b) falt. Fault has au before the l, as in vault.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
It was not the driver's tuafl that the old bus broke down on the ghat road.
a) fault
b) flout
c) float
d) flute
Show answer
a) fault. There is no o and no e in the jumble, so it can only be fault.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In tennis, a fault is ____.
a) the final game at the end of a match
b) a type of racket used by beginners
c) a shot that wins the point outright
d) a serve that does not land in the right area
Show answer
d) a serve that does not land in the right area
2. If someone finds fault with everything, they ____.
a) fix everything that breaks
b) complain and criticise a lot
c) lose their things very often
d) praise everything they see
Show answer
b) complain and criticise a lot
