his words failed him?

[keannu]

This is in a scary situation, and when you say "words fail someone", does it mean "he tried to say something, but failed to do it" or "he said something, but it was no help"?

ex)...He suddenly felt an uneasy darkness consume him from within. He opened his mouth to call for help, but his words failed him.

 

[nyota]

This is in a scary situation, and when you say "words fail someone", does it mean "he tried to say something, but failed to do it" or "he said something, but it was no help"?

ex)...He suddenly felt an uneasy darkness consume him from within. He opened his mouth to call for help, but his words failed him.

It means you're speechless, you don't know what to say.

words fail me spoken
used to say that you are so surprised, angry, or shocked that you do not know what to say:
- I ... words fail me. Longman - word

 

[5jj]

Omit 'his'.