Within the study of language, ‘false friends’ are words in two languages that look similar, or sound similar when spoken out loud, but which have significantly different definitions from one another.
They can be especially problematic for students learning a new language, because these people are likely to infer the meaning of the word based on a similar word in their native language, resulting in incorrect knowledge or usage.
False friends in languages have developed over the years, for various reasons. For example, in some cases, the two false friends have similar origins, perhaps having both been borrowed from a third language, but their meanings have deviated over time. In other cases, however, the words could have completely different origins, but because pronunciations and spellings shift gradually, they have both ended up looking or sounding similar.
To help students understand false friends properly, we have compiled a table of some examples that appear between English and German, English and French, and English and Spanish. In each case, you will find the English word, its real translation, the false friend word, and the real meaning of that false friend.
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English – German False Friends
| English Word | German Translation | False Friend | Real Meaning |
| Ambulance | Krankenwagen | Ambulanz | Emergency room / A&E department |
| Brand | Marke | Brand | Fire |
| College | Hochschule | Kollege | Colleague |
| Direction | Richtung | Direktion | Management / Administration |
| Gift / Present | Geschenk | Gift | Poison |
| Gymnasium | Fitnessstudio / Turnhalle | Gymnasium | Grammar school / High school |
| Hut | Hütte | Hut | Hat |
| Lemon | Zitrone | Limone | Lime |
| Massive | Riesig / Gewaltig | Massiv | Solid |
| Objective | Ziel | Objektiv | Lens |
| Pickle | Essiggurke | Pickel | Spot / Zit |
| Rat | Ratte | Rat | Advice / Council |
| Sensible | Vernünftig | Sensibel | Sensitive |
| Stadium | Stadion | Stadium | Stage |
| Where | Wo | Wer | Who |
Want to learn more? Here’s an article where we discuss more about false friends in German and English!
English – French False Friends
| English Word | French Translation | False Friend | Real Meaning |
| Actually | Réellement | Actuellement | Current |
| Car | Voiture | Car | Because (formal) |
| Chair | Chaise | Chair | Flesh |
| Excited | Enthusiaste | Excité | Aroused |
| Grape | Grain de raisin | Grappe | Bunch |
| Journey | Voyage | Journée | Day |
| Library | Bibliothèque | Librairie | Book shop |
| Location | Emplacement | Location | Rental |
| Money | Argent | Money | Loose change |
| Pain | Douleur | Pain | Bread |
| Preservative | Conservateur | Préservatif | Condom |
| Sale | Vente | Sale | Dirty |
| Sensible | Raisonnable | Sensible | Sensitive |
| Slip | Glisser | Slip | Underpants / Men’s briefs |
| Travel | Voyager | Travail | Job / Work |
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English – Spanish False Friends
| English Word | Spanish Translation | False Friend | Real Meaning |
| Actual | Real / Efectivo | Actual | Present-day / Current |
| Bizarre | Extraño | Bizarro | Brave / Gallant |
| Compromise | Componenda | Compromiso | Commitment / Obligation |
| Disgrace | Vergüenza | Desgracia | Mistake / Mishap |
| Envy | Envidiar | Enviar | Send |
| Introduce | Presentar | Introducir | Insert |
| Large | Grande | Largo | Long |
| Lecture | Conferencia | Lectura | Reading |
| Nude | Desnudo | Nudo | Knot |
| Parent | Padre | Pariente | Relative |
| Preoccupied | Distraído | Preocupado | Concerned / Worried |
| Record | Grabar | Recordar | Recall / Remember |
| Success | Éxito | Suceso | Event / Incident |
| Ultimately | Al final | Últimamente | Recently |
| Vase | Florero | Vaso | Glass (drinking) |
Identify false friends in different languages
As you can tell from looking at the tables above, it is very easy to make mistakes with false friends, especially when the definitions are vaguely similar. Yet, as you will also notice, there is the potential to make some very embarrassing mistakes. It is, therefore, essential to take care when learning your vocabulary.
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Lingoda Team
This article was produced by one of the in-house Lingoda writers.
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