(誤會(huì)) mistake: A wrong thought, act. It implies carelessness. Anyone can make a mistake.
(過錯(cuò) 弱點(diǎn)) fault: A bad point, but not of a serious moral kind. It refers to behavior and character. His only fault is that he lacks ambition.
find fault with sb / at fault
shortcoming: weakness, failing It refers to failures or deficiencies in things as well as people. In spite of all her shortcomings I still think she's one of the best teachers in the school.
(疏忽) error: A mistake (formal sometimes literary) It implies deviation from a standard or model
The accident was caused by human error.
(缺點(diǎn) 毛病) defect: sth lacking or imperfect. It refers to quality. The radio was returned because of a defect.
(失誤 過失) blunder: A very stupid or unnecessary mistake. It implies ignorance. This is the fatal blunder of his life.