Anglais B2 : vocabulaire de l’échec (nuances)

0) À retenir en 10 secondes

failure = échec (nom) ; to fail = échouer (verbe).

mistake = erreur ; fault = faute/responsabilité ; error = erreur (plus “technique”).

setback = contretemps (recul temporaire) ; flop = échec “public” (informel).

to mess up = se rater (informel) ; to fall short = ne pas être à la hauteur.

to bungle gacher

Pour bungle (mal exécuter, bâcler) :

botch → bâcler un travail

mishandle → mal gérer

mess up (familier) → foutre en l’air

fumble → cafouiller, manier maladroitement

screw up (argot) → foirer, planter

Pour blunder (erreur stupide)

mistake → erreur (général)

gaffe → gaffe sociale

error → erreur (plutôt technique ou formelle)

misstep → faux pas

slip → lapsus, erreur légère

oversight → oubli involontaire

1) Noms : types d’échec

Mot	Nuance	Exemple
failure	échec (général)	*Failure is part of learning.*
a fail (informel)	un “fail”	*That was a total fail.*
setback	revers/contretemps (temporaire)	*We had a small setback.*
defeat	défaite (compétition)	*A narrow defeat.*
loss	perte (match, business)	*Their first loss of the season.*
flop (informel)	flop (succès public raté)	*The show was a flop.*
disaster	catastrophe (très fort)	*The launch was a disaster.*
fiasco (B2)	fiasco (mauvaise organisation, ridicule)	*It turned into a fiasco.*

2) Verbes : échouer / rater / ne pas réussir

Verbe	Nuance	Exemple
to fail	échouer (ne pas réussir)	*I failed the exam.*
to fail to + V	ne pas réussir à / ne pas faire	*He failed to reply.*
to miss	rater (bus, deadline, occasion)	*I missed the deadline.*
to mess up (informel)	se planter / mal faire	*I messed up the presentation.*
to screw up (plus familier)	se planter (plus cru)	*I screwed up.*
to fall short	être en dessous des attentes	*The result fell short of our goals.*
to backfire	se retourner contre soi	*My joke backfired.*
to collapse	s’effondrer (plan/projet)	*The deal collapsed.*

3) Causes : erreurs, mauvaises décisions, négligence

Mot	Nuance	Exemple
mistake	erreur (courant)	*I made a mistake.*
error	erreur (technique/formel)	*There was an error in the report.*
fault	faute/responsabilité	*It wasn’t my fault.*
blunder (B2)	grosse bourde	*A major blunder.*
misjudgment (B2)	mauvaise évaluation	*It was a misjudgment.*
negligence (B2)	négligence (pro/légal)	*gross negligence*

4) Échec “partiel” / résultat insuffisant

Mot	Nuance	Exemple
unsuccessful	non concluant (neutre)	*The attempt was unsuccessful.*
ineffective	inefficace	*The strategy was ineffective.*
not enough	insuffisant (simple)	*It wasn’t enough.*
inadequate (B2)	inadéquat/insuffisant (formel)	*Inadequate preparation.*
subpar (B2, plutôt US)	en dessous du niveau	*The service was subpar.*

5) Expressions B2 très naturelles

I didn’t make it. = je n’ai pas réussi.

I blew it. (informel) = j’ai tout gâché.

It didn’t work out. = ça n’a pas marché.

We hit a dead end. = on est dans une impasse.

We missed the mark. = on est passé à côté.

It was a learning experience. = expérience formatrice.

6) Collocations utiles

fail an exam / fail to do something

make a mistake / commit an error

a major/minor setback

a costly mistake

a complete/total failure

fall short of expectations

backfire badly

recover from a setback

7) Pièges & nuances

to fail = échouer (test/exam) ; mais aussi *fail to do* = ne pas faire (ex: *failed to respond*).

failure (nom) ≠ fault (responsabilité).

defeat = défaite (contre un adversaire), pas “échec” général.

unsuccessful est neutre et souvent plus poli que a failure.

8) Mini-exercice (choisis le mot le plus naturel)

Complète avec : failure / setback / flop / fiasco / fail / miss / mess up / fall short / backfire / blunder / misjudgment / inadequate

The project wasn’t a total ; we learned a lot.

We had a small but we’re back on track.

The film was a box-office .

The event turned into a complete (badly organised).

I’m afraid I might the exam.

I the deadline by two days.

I really my speech (informal).

The result of our expectations.

His comments and made things worse.

That was a huge — everyone noticed.

Hiring him was a .

Our preparation was .

Corrigé (proposition)

failure

setback

flop

fiasco

fail

missed

messed up

fell short

backfired

blunder

misjudgment

inadequate