False cognates, often called falsos amigos in Spanish, are words in different languages that appear similar, but do not actually mean the same thing.
Spanish and English have many cognates, or words with the same origin. These words often mean essentially the same thing in Spanish and English. For example:
Spanish English
decidir
to decide
maravilloso
marvelous
angular
angular
However, there are many Spanish and English words that appear to be cognates, but in fact mean very different things in each language. These are called false cognates, or false friends.
Below you'll find an extensive list of false cognates you should watch out for.
The first column and third columns of each table show the Spanish and English false cognates, respectively.
The second column shows the English translation of the Spanish false cognate.
The fourth column shows the Spanish translation of the English false cognate.
Adjective and Adverb False Cognates
Spanish False Cognate English Translation English False Cognate Spanish Translation
actual
current actual
verdadero
actualmente
currently actually
realmente
bizarro
valiant, gallant bizarre
extraño
blanco
white blank
sin adorno
colorado
red, reddish colored
de color
culto
educated cult
de culto
destituido
dismissed, ousted destitute
indigente
educado
polite educated
culto
embarazada
pregnant embarrassed
avergonzado
emocionante
exciting emotional
sensible
eventual
possible, temporary eventual
definitivo
fastidioso
annoying fastidious
escrupuloso
gracioso
funny gracious
cortés
largo
long large
grande
mayor
older, larger mayor
alcalde
real
royal real
verdadero
sano
healthy sane
cuerdo
últimamente
lately ultimately
finalmente
último
last ultimate final or máximo
Noun False Cognates
Spanish False Cognate English Translation English False Cognate Spanish Translation
la advertencia
warning advertisement
el anuncio
la agonía
death throes agony
la angustia
la apología
defense, eulogy apology
la disculpa
la arena
sand arena
el anfiteatro
el argumento
reasoning, debate argument
la disputa
el asesino
murderer, killer assassin el asesino pagado , el sicario
la asistencia
attendance assistance
el apoyo
el bachillerato
high school or A-level diploma bachelor
el soltero
el billón
trillion billion
mil millones
el bufete
desk buffet
el bufé
el campo
countryside camp
el campamento
el cargo
post, position cargo
la carga
la carpeta
folder, binder carpet
la alfombra
la carrera
race, journey or university program of studies career
la trayectoria professional
la carta
letter cart
el carrito
el colegio
high school college
la universidad
la complexión
constitution, temperament complexion
la tez
el compromiso
commitment compromise
la solución intermedia
el conductor
driver conductor el director (orchestral conductor); el revisor (train conductor)
la copa
glass, goblet; trophy cup
vaso
el damnificado
victim damned
maldito
la decepción
disappointment deception
el engaño
el delito
crime delight
el placer
la desgracia
misfortune, accident disgrace
la deshonra
la educación
upbringing education
la formación
el elevador
hoist elevator
el ascensor
el éxito
success exit
la salida
la fábrica
factory fabric
la tela
la falta
absence, shortage, lack fault el defecto (imperfection); la culpa (guilt)
la firma
signature firm
la empresa
el fútbol
soccer football
el fútbol americano
la grosería
rudeness grocery/groceries la tienda de comestibles (store); la dispensa (food items)
el humor
mood humor
la gracia
el idioma
language idiom
el modismo
la jubilación
retirement jubilation
el júbilo
la lectura
reading, reading material lecture
la conferencia
la letra
letter of the alphabet; lyrics to a song letter
la carta
la librería
bookstore library
la biblioteca
la lujuria
lust luxury
el lujo
la mama
breast mother
la mamá
la marca
brand, record mark
la mancha
la masa
dough mass (at church)
la misa
el negocio
business negotiation
la negociación
el nombre
name; noun number
el número
la noticia
news notice
el aviso
la ocasión
opportunity; bargain occasion
la vez
el oficio
trade, function; religious service office
la oficina
once
eleven once
una vez
el pan
bread pan
la cacerola
la papa
potato father
el papá
el pariente
close relative parent
el padre
el patrón
boss; standard patron
el patrocinador
el plagio
plagiarism plague
la peste
el preservativo
condom preservative
el conservador
la receta
recipe, prescription receipt
el recibo
la recolección
harvest, collection recollection
el recuerdo
la red
network, net red
rojo
la ropa
clothing rope
la cuerda
el salario
hourly wages salary
el sueldo
sano
healthy sane
cuerdo
sensible
sensitive sensible
sensato
sobre
on, above, over sober
sobrio
la sopa
soup soap
el jabón
el suceso
event, incident success
el éxito
la trampa
trap tramp
el vagabundo
la tuna
prickly pear; group of student musicians tuna
el atún
el vaso
glass, tumbler vase
el florero
Verb False Cognates
Spanish False Cognate English Translation English False Cognate Spanish Translation
asistir
to attend to assist
ayudar
blindar
to shield to blind
cegar
chocar
to crash to choke estrangular or sofocarse
contestar
to answer to contest
contender
corresponder
to agree with, to match to correspond (in writing)
escribirse
decepcionar
to disappoint to deceive
engañar
despertar
to wake up desperate
desesperado
discutir
to debate, to argue to discuss
hablar de
echar
to throw, to pour to echo
resonar
excitar
to excite sexually to excite
entusiasmar
grabar
to save, to record to grab
asir
ignorar
to be unaware of to ignore
no hacer caso de
molestar
to annoy to molest
acosar sexualmente
pretender
to claim to pretend
fingir
procurar
to manage (to do something) to procure
obtener
quitar
to take away, to get rid of to quit
dejar
realizar
to fulfill to realize
darse cuenta de
recordar
to remember to record
grabar
restar
to subtract to rest
descansar
revolver
to turn over revolver
el revólver
soportar
to bear, to carry to support
apoyar
suceder
to happen, to follow to succeed
tener éxito
