
Top 40 False Cognates in Spanish That Will Trip You Up and Confuse You
If you have studied Spanish for a little while, you’ve likely noticed the many similarities between English and Spanish, especially the words we call cognates. Owing to both languages’ Latin roots, it’s pretty easy to identify the meaning of new words in Spanish, for the most part! Watch out for the trickiest part of learning Spanish: the false cognate. This word looks like it means the same thing in English when in reality, it does not!
The Guessing Game
How many times have you not known a word in Spanish and tried to just put a Spanish ending on the English one and hoped for the best? This often works (like with education and educación), but not always. Numerous false cognates, or false friends, exist that create confusion and miscommunication.

Possibly the most common example of this is embarrassed and embarazada.
They look similar, so they must mean the same thing, right? Wrong! Embarazada is actually pregnant, and the correct translation of embarrassed would be avergonzado(a).
List of False Cognates in Spanish
Can you see how false cognates can cause a lot of problems? Let’s look at some more.
1. Actual — actual
English word: Actual
Spanish translation: Exacto / real
Example: The actual translation is different. — La traducción exacta es diferente.
Spanish word: Actual
English translation: Current
Example: This is my current number. — Este es mi número actual.
2. Advertisement — advertencia
English word: advertisement
Spanish translation: anuncio
Example: There are too many advertisements. — Hay demasiados anuncios.
Spanish word: advertencia
English translation: warning
Example: My boss gave me a warning. — Mi jefe me dio una advertencia.
3. Assist — asistir
English word: assist
Spanish translation: ayudar
Example: Can you assist me with this? — ¿Me puedes ayudar con esto?
Spanish word: asistir
English translation: to attend
Example: She only attended one class all semester. — Ella sólo asistió a una clase en todo el semestre
4. Bomber — bombero
English word: bomber
Spanish translation: bombardero
Example: The air force has 1,000 bomber aircraft. — La fuerza aérea tiene 1,000 aviones bombarderos.
Spanish word: bombero
English translation: firefighter
Example: The firefighters arrived to put out the fire. — Los bomberos llegaron a apagar el incendio.
5. Carpet — carpeta
English word: carpet
Spanish translation: alfombra
Example: The carpet is very dirty — La alfombra está muy sucia
Spanish word: carpeta
English translation: folder
Example: Put the papers in the blue folder. — Pon las hojas en la carpeta azul.
6. Choke — choque
English word: choke
Spanish translation: asfixiar
Example: The dust is choking him. — El polvo lo está asfixiando.
Spanish word: choque
English translation: to crash
Example: The car crashed into a motorcycle. — El carro chocó contra una motocicleta.
7. Code — codo
English word: code
Spanish translation: código
Example: What is the country code? — ¿Cuál es el código del país?
Spanish word: codo
English translation: elbow
Example: My elbow hurts. — Me duele el codo.
8. College — colegio
English word: college
Spanish translation: universidad
Example: This is my last year in college. — Este es mi último año en la universidad.
Spanish word: colegio
English translation: school
Example: I need to take my son to school. — Tengo que llevar a mi hijo al colegio.
9. Compromise — compromiso
English word: compromise
Spanish translation: acuerdo
Example: We need to find a compromise. — Necesitamos llegar a un acuerdo.
Spanish word: compromiso
English translation: commitment/engagement
Example: Sorry, I can’t go. I already have a commitment. — Perdón, no puedo ir. Ya tengo un compromiso.
10. Constipated — constipado
English word: constipated
Spanish translation: estreñido
Example: My stomach hurts, I’m constipated. — Me duele el estómago. Estoy estreñido.
Spanish word: constipado
English translation: stuffed up
Example: I’ve been stuffed up for five days. — He estado constipado por cinco días.
11. Contest — contestar
English word: contest
Spanish translation: luchar por
Example: He will contest the championship belt. — Él va a luchar por el cinturón de campeonato
Spanish word: contestar
English translation: to answer
Example: Should I answer the doorbell? — ¿Debería contestar la puerta?
12. Delight — delito
English word: delight
Spanish translation: deleite/deleitar
Example: The song delighted me. — La canción me deleitó.
Spanish word: delito
English translation: crime
Example: My cousin commited a crime. — Mi primo cometió un delito
13. Disgrace — desgracia
English word: disgrace
Spanish translation: vergüenza
Example: What a disgrace! — ¡Qué vergüenza!
Spanish word: desgracia
English translation: misfortune/tragedy
Example: What a tragedy! — ¡Qué desgracia!
14. Disgust — disgusto
English word: disgust
Spanish translation: asco
Example: That disgusts me. — Eso me da asco
Spanish word: disgusto
English translation: annoyance
Example: He couldn’t hide his annoyance. — No pudo esconder su disgusto.
15. To envy — enviar
English word: to envy
Spanish translation: envidiar
Example: Everyone envies her. — Todos la envidian.
Spanish word: enviar
English translation: to send
Example: I sent you a letter. — Te envié una carta.
16. Exit — éxito
English word: exit
Spanish translation: salida
Example: The exit is to the right. — La salida está a la derecha.
Spanish word: éxito
English translation: success
Example: To have success, you must work hard. — Para tener éxito, debes trabajar duro.
17. Fabric — fábrica
English word: fabric
Spanish translation: tela
Example: This fabric is so soft. — Esta tela es muy suave.
Spanish word: fábrica
English translation: factory
Example: There is a factory near my house. — Hay una fábrica cerca de mi casa.
18. Familiar — familiar
English word: familiar
Spanish translation: conocido / familiar
Example: He looks familiar. — Él me parece conocido.
Spanish word: familiar
English translation: family / family member
Example: They are my family members. — Ellos son mis familiares.
19. Grape — grapa
English word: grape
Spanish translation: uva
Example: I love grapes. — Amo las uvas.
Spanish word: grapa
English translation: staple
Example: I ran out of staples. — Se me acabaron las grapas.
20. To introduce — introducir
English word: to introduce
Spanish translation: presentar
Example: I want to introduce you to my friend. — Quiero presentarte a mi amigo.
Spanish word: introducir
English translation: insert
Example: Insert the card. — Inserte la tarjeta.
21. Large — largo
English word: large
Spanish translation: grande
Example: The dog is very large. — El perro es muy grande.
Spanish word: largo
English translation: long
Example: I want long hair. — Quiero tener pelo largo.
22. Lecture — lectura
English word: lecture
Spanish translation: clase / conferencia
Example: Do you want to attend the lecture with me? — ¿Quieres asistir a la conferencia conmigo?
Spanish word: lectura
English translation: reading
Example: We’re going to start with the first reading — Vamos a comenzar con la primera lectura.
23. Library — librería
English word: library
Spanish translation: biblioteca
Example: I love going to the library. — Me encanta ir a la biblioteca.
Spanish word: librería
English translation: book store / office supply store
Example: Do you want me to buy you something from the book store? — ¿Quieres que te compre algo de la librería?
24. Mayor — mayor
English word: mayor
Spanish translation: alcalde
Example: Who is the mayor? — ¿Quién es el alcalde?
Spanish word: mayor
English translation: bigger/ older
Example: He is my older brother. — Él es mi hermano mayor.
25. Molest — molestar
English word: molest
Spanish translation: abusar (sexualmente)
Example: We provide support for people who were molested. — Nosotros damos apoyo a las personas que fueron abusadas.
Spanish word: molestar
English translation: to annoy
Example: Stop annoying me! — ¡Deja de molestarme!
26. Nude — nudo
English word: nude
Spanish translation: desnudo
Example: He sleeps in the nude. — Él duerme desnudo.
Spanish word: nudo
English translation: knot
Example: I can’t untie the know. — No puedo desatar el nudo.
27. Parent — pariente
English word: parent
Spanish translation: padre / madre
Example: I’m a new paret. — Soy padre primerizo.
Spanish word: pariente
English translation: relative
Example: She is my distant relative. — Ella es mi pariente lejana.
28. Pie — pie
English word: pie
Spanish translation: pastel / pay
Example: I baked an apple pie. — Hice un pastel de manzana.
Spanish word: pie
English translation: foot
Example: I have a mole in my foot. — Tengo un lunar en mi pie.
29. To probe — probar
English word: probe
Spanish translation: sondear / investigar
Example: We will continue to probe into his past. — Seguiremos investigando su pasado.
Spanish word: probar
English translation: to try
Example: Do you want to try my food? — ¿Quieres probar mi comida?
30. To realize — realizar
English word: to realize
Spanish translation: darse cuenta
Example: I just realized what time it is. — Acabo de darme cuenta de la hora.
Spanish word: realizar
English translation: to do / carry out
Example: We will do the project together. — Vamos a realizar el proyecto juntos.
31. To record — recordar
English word: to record
Spanish translation: grabar
Example: She recorded the class. — Ella grabó la clase.
Spanish word: recordar
English translation: to remember
Example: Do you remember the answer? — ¿Recuerdas la respuesta?
32. Red — red
English word: red
Spanish translation: rojo
Example: I like the red one. — Me gusta el rojo.
Spanish word: red
English translation: net / network
Example: We used the net to go fishing. — Usamos la red para ir a pescar.
33. Rope — ropa
English word: rope
Spanish translation: cuerda
Example: Tie the rope. — Ata la cuerda.
Spanish word: ropa
English translation: clothes
Example: I need new clothes. — Necesito ropa nueva.
34. Salad — salado
English word: salad
Spanish translation: ensalada
Example: Would you like a salad? — ¿Quisieras una ensalada?
Spanish word: salado
English translation: salty / savory
Example: I don’t like it, it’s too salty. — No me gusta, está muy salado.
35. Sensible — sensible
English word: sensible
Spanish translation: sensato / prudente
Example: I’m not very sensible. — No soy muy sensato.
Spanish word: sensible
English translation: sensitive
Example: My teeth are very sensitive. — Mis dientes son muy sensibles.
36. Sin — sin
English word: sin
Spanish translation: pecado
Example: Stealing is a sin. — Robar es pecado.
Spanish word: sin
English translation: without
Example: I want a hamburger without any tomato. — Quiero una hamburguesa sin tomate.
37. Soap — sopa
English word: soap
Spanish translation: jabón
Example: I need to buy soap. — Necesito comprar jabón.
Spanish word: sopa
English translation: soup
Example: The soup is very hot. — La sopa está muy caliente.
38. Success — suceso
English word: success
Spanish translation: éxito
Example: He has had great success. — Él ha tenido gran éxito.
Spanish word: suceso
English translation: event / incident
Example: The event happened at 8 in the morning. — El suceso ocurrió a las 8 de la mañana.
39. To support — soportar
English word: to support
Spanish translation: apoyar
Example: They are a great support group. — Ellos son un gran grupo de apoyo.
Spanish word: soportar
English translation: to put up with
Example: I have to put up with their bad mood. — Tengo que soportar su mal humor.
40. Ultimately — últimamente
English word: ultimately
Spanish translation: a la larga
Example: Ultimately, the decision is yours. — A la larga, la decisión es tuya.
Spanish word: últimamente
English translation: lately
Example: I have had medical issues lately. — He tenido problemas médicos últimamente.
Don’t Stress, Just Practice!
Phew! That’s a lot of false cognates in Spanish. Don’t stress, though! Most of us learn these through trial and error. It’s okay if you confuse these, too. Keep practicing, and be sure to talk with one of our certified Spanish teachers if you have any questions. Sign up for a FREE class now!

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Decepción doesn’t mean “deception” in Spanish, it means disappointment. The way to say “deception” is “engaño.”
That’s a great example, thanks!