error、fault、blunder、flaw、mistake、shortcoming、defect与slip这些名词均有“错误”或“缺点”之意。
error : 指思想或行动背离正题轨道或没有得到正确指引而出现的偏差或错误。
- He admitted that he'd made an error.
他承认犯了一个错误。 - The letter contains a number of typing errors.
信中有一些打字错误。
fault : 一般指小并且可宽容的缺点、错误。
- It's not my fault she didn't come!
她没来不是我的错！ - Through no fault of his own, he spent a week locked up in jail.
他自己并没犯什么过错，但在监狱里被关了一个星期。
blunder : 通常指由于粗心或欠考虑而酿成的大错。
- He said that the tax was a major political blunder.
他称这项税收政策是一大政治错误。 - I made a blunder by getting his name wrong.
我一疏忽，弄错了他的名字。
flaw : 指结构或组织上的缺点，如破裂之处。用作比喻意义时，指品格上的缺陷。
- 这块布料有瑕疵。退或者不退，我把这件事留给你自己斟酌决定。
The material has a flaw in it. Return it or not, I'll leave it up to you to use your discretion. - 看到他皱起眉头，她赶紧解释。他性格中的唯一缺点好像就是脾气急。
She saw his frown and hastened to explain. The only flaw in his character seemed to be a short temper.
（拓展学习：小词详解 | flaw）
mistake : 最普通用词，泛指思想上、行为上或认识上的判断或理解方面的错误。
- It was a mistake for us to come here tonight.
我们今晚来这儿是个错误。 - I'm not blaming you - we all make mistakes.
我不是在责备你——我们都会犯错。
shortcoming : 指没有达到所要求的标准、没有充分发展或没尽到职责的不足、缺点或短处。多用复数形式。
- Like any political system, it has its shortcomings.
和任何政治体制一样，它也有不足之处。 - Whatever his shortcomings as a husband, he was a good father to his children.
不管作为一个丈夫他有何缺点，他却是孩子们的好父亲。
defect : 普通用词。指表面上的缺陷，或指人或物本质上的缺点。
- There are so many defects in our education system.
我们的教育体制缺陷太多了。 - It's a character defect in her that she can't ever admit she's wrong.
她在性格上有缺陷，从来都不承认自己有错误。
slip : 指因疏忽或无意而造成的差错。
- She's made one or two slips - mainly spelling errors - but it's basically well written.
她犯了一两个小错误——主要是拼写错误——不过基本上写得很不错。
