A mistake is more or less innocent. You did not know any better, and most people will (and should) forgive that one or two times before your reputation is seriously compromized.
a 'faux pas' is exactly the same. the only difference is that the words making up the phrase are French (faux=wrong, pas=step)
My though was that a mistake is worse than a faux pas.
I learned the meaning faux pas years ago when I was studying vocabulary in high school. The first internet definition is "an embarrassing or tactless act or remark in a social situation." The implication was that you knew what to do, but unintentionally did something else.
A mistake is "an action or judgment that is misguided or wrong." A mistake can result from consequent ignorance---the lack of due knowledge in a subject.
One can apologize for a faux pas and generally undue any harm.
Mistakes sometimes require incredible efforts to correct, and preventing such further ones is sometimes quite problematic because the one making the mistake is usually lacking in knowledge.
This post was edited by tom jackson at July 21, 2017 3:37 AM MDT
Funny odd (or maybe not so much) the different takes we each have on definitions isn't it tom? Thank you for your thoughtful and informative reply and Happy Friday! :)
Agree with those who have posted so far... a mistake is slightly worse.. both are unintentional. A mistake can be something you knew was wrong but didn't mean to do. faux pas can be same but can also be where you had no idea that it was a faux pas
You mean, for example, if you go to a foreign country where the culture is very different you could easily unintentionally insult folks without having a clue? Thank you for your reply Addb! :)
tom jackson 