This is the 1651st most frequent French word.
échec
"Échec" means "failure" or "check" (in chess) in English.
Here, 'échec' represents the concept of failure as a general idea or phenomenon.
L'échec est une opportunité d'apprendre et de grandir.
Failure is an opportunity to learn and grow.
In this context, 'échec' is used to refer to a specific instance of not succeeding, in this case, an exam.
Son échec au concours l'a beaucoup affecté.
His failure in the exam affected him greatly.
Here, 'échecs' is being used in its plural form to refer to the game of chess.