fail vs misfire

fail is not a noun while misfire is a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
fail	No	No	Yes	No
misfire	Yes	No	Yes	No

As verbs, misfire is a hyponym of fail; that is, misfire is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than fail:

Other hyponyms of fail include crash, go down, blow, blow out, burn out, malfunction, misfunction.

fail (noun)	misfire (noun)
	an explosion that fails to occur
	a failure to hit (or meet or find etc)

fail (verb)	misfire (verb)
stop operating or functioning	fail to fire or detonate
deteriorate
prove insufficient
disappoint, prove undependable to; abandon, forsake
become bankrupt or insolvent; fail financially and close
be unsuccessful
fail to get a passing grade
fail to do something; leave something undone
judge unacceptable
be unable
fall short in what is expected