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Meaning & use

human error

noun·Academic

Last updated

UK/ˌhjuːmən ˈerə/
US/ˌhjuːmən ˈerɚ/

Meanings

  1. noununcountable

    A mistake made by a person, rather than by a machine or system, that leads to a problem.

    Grammar: Usually no article: the crash was caused by human error.

    Patterns

    • due to human error
    • caused by human error

    The report blamed the delay on human error, not on any technical failure.

    Automatic checks help reduce human error when entering data.

    The wrong dose was given because of human error.

  2. nouncountable

    A specific slip or mistake made by a person in a task.

    Grammar: As a countable noun: a human error was found in the report.

    Patterns

    • a human error in something

    A single human error in the spreadsheet cost the firm thousands.

    Pilots train to catch a human error before it becomes serious.

Word forms

pluralhuman errors

Common combinations

due to human error
The outage was due to human error.
prevent human error
Checklists help prevent human error.
blame human error
Investigators blamed human error.
minimize human error
Training helps minimize human error.
a result of human error
The mix-up was a result of human error.

Synonyms and how they differ

mistake
Mistake is the everyday word for any wrong action, whereas human error is used in safety and technical contexts.
oversight
Oversight means something missed, but human error includes wrongly doing something.
slip
A slip is a small careless act, a less formal and smaller thing than human error.
blunder
Blunder suggests a big embarrassing mistake, which human error does not.

Opposites

mechanical failuresystem fault

Word family

error noun
a mistake
erroneous adjective
wrong, containing a mistake
errant adjective
wandering or going astray
human adjective
relating to people

Commonly confused: human error or humane error?

human error vs humane error

Humane means kind, so 'humane error' is wrong; the phrase uses human.

Practice

The investigators ruled out a faulty machine and concluded that the accident resulted from ___.

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