The word "faltered" is spelled with an "a" in the second syllable, even though it might be tempting to spell it with an "o" due to a similar sounding word. The correct pronunciation of "faltered" is /ˈfɔːltəd/, which means the "a" in the second syllable is pronounced as the schwa sound /ə/. This is a common mistake for English learners who might confuse the pronunciation of "faltered" with another word like "faulted" which has a different meaning and spelling.
Faltered is a verb that refers to the act of stumbling or wavering in one's actions, words, or thoughts due to hesitation, uncertainty, or lack of confidence. It implies a momentary pause, interruption, or disruption in the natural flow or progression of something.
When used to describe a physical movement, faltered represents a lack of surefootedness or stability, often resulting in a stumble, trip, or loss of balance. It indicates a temporary faltering in a person's gait or movement, causing them to hesitate, teeter, or waver briefly before regaining composure or continuing forward.
In terms of speech, faltered signifies a momentary interruption or uncertainty in one's delivery, characterized by a breaking or uneven rhythm in the voice. It reflects a temporary hesitation, stammering, or stumbling over words or phrases, suggesting a lack of fluency, confidence, or clarity.
When faltering is related to one's thoughts or decision-making, it represents a momentary hesitation, doubt, or indecision, often resulting from a lack of conviction, confidence, or clarity of mind. It implies a brief interruption or disruption in the logical or coherent progression of thoughts or actions, as one falters or wavers between choices or uncertainties.
Overall, faltered encompasses the notion of a temporary pause, interruption, or disruption in various facets of human activity, characterized by a lack of sureness, hesitation, or wavering.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "faltered" originated from the Middle English term "falteren", which was derived from the Old English word "fælterian". This Old English word was formed by combining the elements "feallan" (meaning "to fall") and "-terian" (a verb-forming suffix). The word "feallan" ultimately traces back to the Proto-Germanic root "*fallaną". Over time, the meaning of "faltered" evolved to convey a sense of stumbling, hesitating, or wavering in action or speech.