False Friends Checker
Words that look like English but mean something completely different. Browse by language, study the examples, and test yourself with a quick quiz.
- Spanish · 10 false friends
Spanish false friends
Spanish is full of cognates that share Latin roots with English — but many have drifted in meaning. These are the false friends that trip up learners most often.
Browse Spanish - French · 10 false friends
French false friends
French and English share thousands of words thanks to the Norman Conquest, but the meanings often slid apart. Watch out for these classic faux amis.
Browse French - German · 10 false friends
German false friends
German shares deep Germanic roots with English, so plenty of words look identical. A handful mean something completely different — sometimes hilariously so.
Browse German
What is a false friend?
False friends (or false cognates) are pairs of words in two languages that look or sound alike but have different meanings. Saying "estoy embarazada" in Spanish doesn't mean you're embarrassed — it means you're pregnant. These slips happen because English borrowed huge amounts of vocabulary from Latin, French and German, then the meaning drifted on one side of the channel and not the other. Knowing the most common false friends in advance is one of the fastest ways to sound less like a beginner.
Famous false friends at a glance
| Language | Word | Looks like | Actually means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish | embarazada | embarrassed | pregnant |
| Spanish | actualmente | actually | currently / nowadays |
| French | actuellement | actually | currently / right now |
| French | préservatif | preservative | condom |
| German | Gift | gift / present | poison |
| German | bekommen | to become | to receive / get |
| Italian | morbido | morbid | soft |
| Italian | camera | camera | room / bedroom |
How to use the false friends checker
- Open the language you're learning from the cards above.
- Skim the list of false friends and spot any you've assumed wrong.
- Read the explanation, example sentence and correct translation.
- Run the quiz to lock in the right meaning.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a false friend and a cognate?+
A cognate shares both form AND meaning across two languages (Spanish 'familia' / English 'family'). A false friend looks like a cognate but the meaning has drifted — that's the trap. The pages below cover the most common offenders.
Which language has the most false friends with English?+
Spanish, French and Italian all have a long list because they share Latin roots with English's Romance vocabulary. German has fewer but they're sharper traps (e.g. 'Gift' = poison, not present).
How do I stop making the same false-friend mistake?+
Learn the real meaning together with the trap meaning, see the word in a real example sentence, then drill it with spaced repetition. SPEAKZY does this automatically.
Is the false friends checker free?+
Yes — every language hub and every false-friend page is free with no signup. Pro unlocks deeper vocabulary lists and full lessons.