misslingen

The German word "misslingen" is a verb that means "to fail" or "to be unsuccessful". It is composed of the prefix "miss-" (indicating failure or wrongness) and the verb "lingen," which is related to succeeding (an überlingen, an old high German term for achieving something). “Misslingen” denotes an action or effort that does not achieve its intended result.

Similar words in German include:

• "scheitern" (to fail or collapse),
• "missglücken" (to be unsuccessful),
• "misserfolgen" (less common, also to fail).

Difference:

• "Scheitern" often has a more dramatic or severe connotation, implying a significant or impactful failure.
• "Missglücken" typically refers to efforts or plans that didn't turn out well, often used in slightly less formal or dire contexts.
• "Mislingen" specifically focuses on the action itself failing rather than the possibly broader context (e.g., an experiment not working vs. an entire project failing).

"Misslingen" is generally used for events or actions that did not go as intended, typically on a specific occasion.