A false edge is a bevel ground on the spine side of the blade near the tip that is not sharpened. It looks like a second edge but does not cut. Its purpose is to thin the point for easier penetration.
Because it has the geometry of an edge without the function. The grind runs from the spine down toward the point, giving the tip a symmetrical, dagger-like profile while leaving the top blunt to the touch.
In practice manufacturers use false edge and swedge for the same feature. If a listing describes a sharpened false edge, that is a genuinely different thing and worth noting, because a blade sharpened on both sides is classified differently under some local ordinances.
The tip becomes thinner and enters material with less resistance, which matters for piercing tasks like opening feed sacks or dressing game. Balance also shifts slightly rearward.
You give up tip robustness. If you regularly use the point as a lever or a scraper, a full-thickness spine right to the tip will survive longer.