In a false grounded receptacle, the ground wire is connected to which component?

In a false grounded receptacle, the ground wire is erroneously connected to the grounded conductor, which is typically the neutral wire. This situation arises when the ground is mistakenly tied to the neutral instead of being properly connected to a true ground reference. This creates a potentially dangerous condition because, under fault conditions, the neutral can become energized, and thus, the receptacle can end up with an electrical potential, defeating the purpose of having a ground for safety.

The ground wire should ideally be connected to a grounding system that provides a direct path for fault currents back to the earth, but when the connection is to the grounded conductor, it can mislead users into believing they have a safe grounding system. Ensuring that the ground wire is properly connected is critical to the safety of the electrical installation.