wrong / out of place
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out of place
Describes a person, object, or statement that is inappropriate or out of place in a particular situation.
Seine lauten Witze waren bei der Trauerfeier völlig fehl am Platz.
His loud jokes were completely out of place at the funeral.
wrong
An old-fashioned or formal way of saying that something is wrong, mistaken, or not accurate.
Ihre Annahme, dass niemand mehr im Gebäude sei, war fehl.
Her assumption that no one was still in the building was wrong.
The word 'fehl' (wrong/out of place) is closely related to the noun 'der Fehler' (mistake/error) and the verb 'fehlen' (to be missing/not be there). All these words have to do with the idea that something is not right or not present.
Es ist ein Fehler, zu glauben, dass diese Aufgabe einfach ist.
It is a mistake to believe that this task is easy.
'Fehl' (wrong/out of place) is used almost exclusively predicatively, meaning it comes after the noun it refers to. Using it directly before a noun (attributively) is unusual and sounds unnatural.
Jeder Vergleich mit der aktuellen Situation geht fehl.
Any comparison with the current situation misses the mark.
The expression 'fehl am Platz' (out of place) is a fixed phrase. It is used to express that a person, object, or remark does not fit the surroundings or situation.
In seinen Turnschuhen fühlte er sich bei der eleganten Abendveranstaltung fehl am Platz.
In his sneakers, he felt out of place at the elegant evening event.
In the meaning 'falsch' (wrong) or 'irrig' (mistaken), 'fehl' (wrong) is very formal and is mainly used in written language. It is rare in everyday spoken language.
Die Schlussfolgerung des Berichts erwies sich als fehl.
The report's conclusion proved to be wrong.
wrong / false
Both words can say that a statement or assumption is not correct. „Falsch“ is the normal word for this in modern German. „Fehl“ sounds formal or old-fashioned and is rarely used outside certain expressions. In everyday language, „falsch“ is therefore almost always the appropriate choice.
Die Annahme, der Zug sei schon abgefahren, ist fehl.
The assumption that the train has already left is wrong.
Die Behauptung, der Zug sei schon abgefahren, ist falsch.
The claim that the train has already left is false.
