Words / C1

PITF-orl/ˈpɪtfɔːl/

A pitfall is a hidden danger or likely mistake in a process: pitfalls of self-report, avoid the usual pitfalls. Danger and risk are everyday; a trap is more deliberate; a snag is smaller. Do not call an obvious unstaffed door a pitfall as if nobody could have seen it.

Meaning

A hidden problem or danger, especially in a process or plan.

Examples

• “The pitfall was a shared password, not the font.”
• “Risk is everyday. A hazard can be physical. A catch is informal. Pitfalls are typically foreseeable once named. A known shared login is a failure mode, not a surprise ravine.”

Good to know

A trap you can fall into. Everyday: risk / danger. Smaller: snag. A known, visible failure is not a hidden pitfall.

Near in meaning

danger

New