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.
Quick quiz
6 questions — pick the meaning that’s actually correct.
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- GiftNoun/ɡɪft/
Looks like: gift
Means: poison - RatNoun/ʁaːt/
Looks like: rat
Means: advice, council - bekommenVerb/bəˈkɔmən/
Looks like: to become
Means: to receive, get - ChefNoun/ʃɛf/
Looks like: chef (cook)
Means: boss, manager - baldAdverb/balt/
Looks like: bald
Means: soon - GymnasiumNoun/ɡʏmˈnaːzi̯ʊm/
Looks like: gymnasium
Means: grammar / high school
4 more advanced false friends
Unlock the trickier German false friends, audio drills and the full quiz pool with SPEAKZY Pro.
- sensibel
- Rock
- Handy
- See
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Frequently asked questions
What are false friends in German?+
False friends are German words that look or sound like English words but mean something completely different — a major source of beginner mistakes.
What's the most common German false friend?+
The list above shows the false friends learners trip on most often, with the real meaning, an explanation of the mistake, and example sentences.
How do I avoid false friend mistakes in German?+
Learn the real meaning alongside the trap meaning, see the word in context, and practise it out loud. SPEAKZY drills tricky vocabulary with spaced repetition.
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Bite-sized lessons, real conversations and spaced repetition — built so false friends never trip you up again.
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