Framing error can refer to the following:

• Generally, a framing error is the result of reading a string of symbols which are grouped in blocks starting at the wrong point.
• In serial communications, a framing error is the result of reading a string of symbols which are grouped in blocks starting at the wrong point. The symbols are bits and the blocks are bytes, ten bits in asynchronous transmission and eight in synchronous. A framing error in an asynchronous stream usually recovers quickly, but a framing error in a synchronous stream produces gibberish to the end of the packet. Framing errors can be detected with parity bits.
• In genetics, a framing error (also called a frameshift or a frameshift mutation) is a mutation that inserts or deletes a single nucleotide from a DNA sequence. Due to the triplet nature of gene expression, the insertion/deletion can disrupt the grouping of the codons, resulting in a completely different translation from the original.