55 False Cognates in Spanish That Will Kill Your Conversation

Ever heard of “false friends”? And I don’t mean the pseudo-friends you need to watch out for in your social circle. I’m referring to false cognates!

False cognates are words that look and sound very similar in two languages but don’t have the same meaning. The English-Spanish false cognates on our list are definite “conversation killers” that can hinder or entirely derail the message you’re trying to get across. 

For example,

If your friend says to you: estoy constipado. Would you offer them prune juice or cold medicine?

Or,

If you’re feeling embarrassed about something silly you did, are you going to tell your Spanish-speaking friend that you’re embarazada?  

I hope not!

This list will give you all the tools you need for smooth conversations that don’t get tripped up and weird by confusing false cognates. 

Keep reading to learn more about cognates in general with useful definitions, explore our long list of the most commonly-used false cognates in Spanish, and gain the advantage of no longer confusing your listeners with false friends! 

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3 Types of Cognates To Know

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the definition of a cognate is “a word that has the same origin as another word, or is related in some way to another word.” 

Three categories of cognate exist:

1. Perfect cognates
2. True cognates
3. False cognates

It’s important to learn the difference so that you can make educated decisions on your word choice while talking to other Spanish speakers. 

Perfect Cognate

When the meaning, spelling, and sound is identical, as in animal and (el) animal, they’re known as perfect cognates in Spanish. The only difference is in pronunciation.

Other examples include:

• (el) chocolate
• (el) doctor
• (el) error

Read more: 85 Common Spanish Words You Already Know

True Cognate

A true cognate or easy cognate is a word that is “either spelled the same or similar and often sounds alike in both languages.” In other words, it’s near-perfect but not identical.

Think of “action” in English and acción in Spanish.

Both words have similar sound and spelling and they (generally) have the same meaning (acción does mean “action,” but it can also mean “stock” or “share” in financial terms). 

Other examples include:

• Fiction – la ficción
• Attraction – la atracción
• Collaboration – la colaboración

False Cognates

And finally, we have the false cognates in Spanish, which are deceptive for appearing to be the same, but have unexpectedly different meanings. 

Big List of 55 False Cognates in Spanish

The following 55 most commonly-used false cognates are essential learning for your Spanish studies. Instead of trying to memorize a giant list, go ahead and print this out for later use or enter them into a flashcard app you use to learn with a spaced repetition schedule. 

The list includes the Spanish translation of the English word and examples of the false cognates. Then, you will find the English translation of the cognates words in Spanish and an example sentence using the term. Be sure to listen to the audio so that you can hear the difference in pronunciation as well!

1. Actual — actual

English word: Actual

Spanish translation: Exacto, real

The actual translation is different.
La traducción exacta es diferente.

Spanish word: Actual

English translation: Current

Este es mi número actual.
This is my current number. 

2. Pie — pie

English word: Pie

Spanish translation: Pay

This lemon pie is delicious.
Este pay de limón está delicioso.

Spanish word: Pie

English translation: Foot

Me duele el pie derecho.
My right foot is hurting.

3. Carpet — carpeta

English word: Carpet

Spanish translation: Alfombra

I liked this red carpet.
Me gusta esta alfombra roja.

Spanish word: Carpeta

English translation: Folder

¿Has visto mi carpeta?
Have you seen my folder?

4. Rope — ropa

English word: Rope

Spanish translation: Cuerda

Use that rope to tie the boat up. 

Usa esa cuerda para amarrar el bote. 

Spanish word: Ropa

English translation: Clothes

Diana tiene mucha ropa muy bonita. 
Diana has a lot of very nice clothes. 

5. Exit — éxito

English word: Exit

Spanish translation: Salida

Where is the exit?
¿Dónde está la salida?

Spanish word: Éxito

English translation: Success

Messi tuvo mucho éxito en el Barcelona. 
Messi had a lot of success at Barcelona.

6. Choke — choque

English word: Choke

Spanish translation: Asfixiar

The dust is choking him. 
El polvo lo está asfixiando.

Spanish word: Choque

English translation: To crash

Miguel tuvo un choque muy fuerte en el auto.
Miguel had a very strong crash in the car. 

7. Grape — grapa

English word: Grape

Spanish translation: Uva

This grape is very sweet. 
Esta uva está muy dulce.

Spanish word: Grapa

English translation: Staple

¿Tienes grapas?
Do you have staples?

8. Fabric — fábrica

English word: Fabric

Spanish translation: Tela

I don’t like the fabric of my school uniform.
No me gusta la tela de mi uniforme de la escuela.

Spanish word: Fábrica

English translation: Factory

Monterrey tiene muchas fábricas.
Monterrey has a lot of factories.

9. Record — recordar

English word: To record

Spanish translation: Grabar

I want to record the President’s speech.
Quiero grabar el discurso del presidente. 

Spanish word: Recordar

English translation: To remember

Me gusta recordar los días de mi infancia.
I like to remember the days of my childhood.

10. Arm — arma

English word: Arm

Spanish translation: Brazo

I broke my left arm.
Me rompí el brazo izquierdo.

Spanish word: Arma

English translation: Weapon

Las armas pueden ser peligrosas. 
Weapons can be dangerous. 

11. Lecture — lectura

English word: Lecture

Spanish translation: Conferencia

I’m giving a lecture at the university.
Voy a dar una conferencia en la universidad.

Spanish word: Lectura

English translation: Reading

Me encanta la lectura. 
I love reading.

12. Pan — pan

English word: Pan

Spanish translation: Cacerola

There’s food in the pan.
Hay comida en la cacerola.

Spanish word: Pan

English translation: Bread

Voy a la tienda a comprar pan.
I’m going to the shop to buy some bread.

13. Assist — asistir

English word: To assist

Spanish translation: Ayudar

Your work is to assist our customers with their problems. 
Tu trabajo es ayudar a nuestros clientes con sus problemas.

Spanish word: Asistir

English translation: To attend

Juan no asistió a clases hoy. 
Juan didn’t attend classes today. 

14. Realize — realizar

English word: To realize

Spanish translation: Darse cuenta de

I didn’t realize you were here. 
No me dí cuenta de que estabas aquí. 

Spanish word: Realizar

English translation: To do

Tengo que realizar unos trámites en el Consulado.
I have to do some paperwork at the Consulate. 

15. Delight — delito

English word: Delight

Spanish translation: Deleite

Listening to Bob Dylan is a delight.
Escuchar a Bob Dylan es un deleite.

Spanish word: Delito

English translation: Crime

Robar es un delito.
To steal is a crime. 

16. Introduce — introducir

English word: To introduce

Spanish translation: Presentar

Let me introduce you to my wife.
Permíteme presentarte a mi esposa.

Spanish word: Introducir

English translation: To insert

Introduzca la tarjeta.
Insert the card.

17. Parent — pariente

English word: Parent

Spanish translation: Padre / madre

See you at my parents’ home.
Nos vemos en la casa de mis padres. 

Spanish word: Pariente

English translation: Relative

Miguel es mi pariente lejano. 
Miguel is my distant relative.

18. Red — red

English word: Red

Spanish translation: Rojo

Red is my favorite color.
El rojo es mi color favorito.

Spanish word: Red

English translation: Net / network

Carlos olvidó su red de pesca. 
Dad forgot his fishing net. 

19. Soap — sopa

English word: Soap

Spanish translation: Jabón

Can you buy soap?
¿Puedes comprar jabón?

Spanish word: Sopa

English translation: Soup

A mi hija no le gusta la sopa. 
My daughter doesn’t like soup. 

20. Compromise — compromiso

English word: Compromise

Spanish translation: Acuerdo

In the end, we reached a compromise. 
Al final, llegamos a un acuerdo. 

Spanish word: Compromiso

English translation: Commitment / engagement

¿Te gusta mi anillo de compromiso?
Do you like my engagement ring?

21. Contest — contestar

English word: Contest

Spanish translation: Concurso

You can win this contest!
¡Tú puedes ganar este concurso!

Spanish word: Contestar

English translation: To answer, to reply

¡Contéstame!
Answer me!

22. Envy — enviar

English word: To envy

Spanish translation: Envidiar

I envy you. 
Te envidio. 

Spanish word: Enviar

English translation: To send

Voy a enviar un paquete a Polonia.
I’m going to send a package to Poland.

23. Large — largo

English word: Large

Spanish translation: Grande

That t-shirt is a bit large, don’t you think?
Esa camiseta es un poco grande, ¿no te parece?

Spanish word: Largo

English translation: Long

Mi habitación mide 5 metros de largo por 3 de ancho.
My room is 5 meters long and 3 meters wide.

24. Embarrassed — embarazada

English word: Embarrassed

Spanish translation: Avergonzado(a)

I’m so embarrassed.
Estoy muy avergonzado. 

Spanish word: Embarazada

English translation: Pregnant

¡Estoy embarazada!
I’m pregnant!

25. Gracious — gracioso

English word: Gracious

Spanish translation: Cortés

You have to be gracious both in victory and defeat. 
Hay que ser cortés tanto en la victoria como en la derrota.

Spanish word: Gracioso

English translation: Funny

Ricardo es muy gracioso. 
Ricardo is very funny. 

26. Horn — horno

English word: Horn

Spanish translation: Cuerno

That rhino lost its horn. 
Ese rinoceronte perdió su cuerno. 

Spanish word: Horno

English translation: Oven

Las galletas están en el horno.
Cookies are in the oven. 

27. Avocado — abogado

English word: Avocado

Spanish translation: Aguacate

I have an avocado tree in my garden.
Tengo un árbol de aguacate en mi jardín.

Spanish word: Abogado

English translation: Lawyer

Tengo que llamar a mi abogado. 
I have to call my lawyer.

28. Parade — pared

English word: Parade

Spanish translation: Desfile

The parade was spectacular.
El desfile estuvo espectacular.

Spanish word: Pared

English translation: Wall

Pinté la pared de mi habitación. 
I painted my bedroom’s wall.

29. Diversion — diversión

English word: Diversion

Spanish translation: Desviación

There’s a road diversion ahead. 
Hay una desviación del camino más adelante.

Spanish word: Diversión

English translation: Fun

En esta casa, la diversión nunca se acaba. 
In this house, there’s always something fun to do. 

30. Salad — salado

English word: Salad

Spanish translation: Ensalada

I like salads.
Me gustan las ensaladas.

Spanish word: Salado

English translation: Salty

Este pollo está salado. 
This chicken is salty. 

31. Signature — asignatura 

English word: Signature

Spanish translation: Firma

I need your signature for this contract.
Necesito tu firma para este contrato. 

Spanish word: Asignatura

English translation: Subject

Mi asignatura favorita es Geografía.
Geography is my favorite subject. 

32. Place — plaza

English word: Place

Spanish translation: Lugar

I feel like I finally found my place. 
Siento que finalmente encontré mi lugar. 

Spanish word: Plaza

English translation: Square

Vamos a la plaza principal. 
We’re going to the main square. 

33. Bark — barco

English word: To bark

Spanish translation: Ladrar

My dog loves to bark.
A mi perro le encanta ladrar.

Spanish word: Barco

English translation: Boat, ship

Pasé la tarde a bordo de un barco.
I spent the afternoon on board a boat.

34. Involve — envolver

English word: To involve

Spanish translation: Involucrar

It’s important that parents get involved in their child’s language learning process.
Es importante que los padres se involucren en el proceso de aprendizaje del idioma de sus hijos. 

Spanish word: Envolcer

English translation: To wrap

Tengo que envolver el regalo de María.
I have to wrap María’s present. 

35. Disgust — disgusto

English word: Disgust

Spanish translation: Asco

Cockroaches disgust me. 
Las cucarachas me dan asco. 

Spanish word: Disgusto

English translation: Annoyance

Los aficionados expresaron su disgusto con el resultado del juego. 
Fans expressed their annoyance with the game’s result. 

36. Familiar — familiar

English word: Familiar

Spanish translation: Conocido

That girl looks familiar.
Esa chica me parece conocida. 

Spanish word: Familiar

English translation: Family member / relative

No he visto a mis familiares en mucho tiempo. 
I haven’t seen my family members in a long time. 

37. Mayor — mayor

English word: Mayor

Spanish translation: Alcalde

One day I’ll be the mayor of this town. 
Un día seré el alcalde de este pueblo. 

Spanish word: Mayor

English translation: Bigger / older

Toño es mi hermano mayor. 
Toño is my older brother. 

38. Sensible — sensible

English word: Sensible

Spanish translation: Sensato / prudente

That wasn’t very sensible of you. 
Eso no fue muy sensato de tu parte. 

Spanish word: Sensible

English translation: Sensitive

Tengo la piel muy sensible. 
My skin is very sensitive.

39. Success — suceso

English word: Success

Spanish translation: Éxito

My first novel was a great success.
Mi primera novela fue un gran éxito. 

Spanish word: Suceso

English translation: Event / incident

Fue un suceso extraordinario. 
It was an extraordinary incident. 

40. Policy — policía

English word: Policy

Spanish translation: Política

The company’s policy is very clear in that regard. 
La política de la empresa es muy clara en ese aspecto. 

Spanish word: Policía

English translation: Police

Voy a llamar a la policía. 
I’m calling the police. 

41. Sin — sin

English word: Sin

Spanish translation: Pecado

Greed is a deadly sin in catholic religion. 
La codicia es un pecado capital en la religión católica. 

Spanish word: Sin

English translation: Without

Me quedé sin dinero.
I was left without any money. 

42. Tramp — trampa

English word: Tramp

Spanish translation: Vagabundo

That character is a tramp. 
Ese personaje es un vagabundo.

Spanish word: Trampa

English translation: Trap

Voy a comprar una trampa para ratones.
I’m going to buy a mouse’s trap.

43. Support — soportar

English word: Support

Spanish translation: Mantener / apoyar

You have all my support.
Tienes todo mi apoyo. 

Spanish word: Soportar

English translation: To put up with

Estoy cansado de soportar las bromas de mi hermano. 
I’m tired of putting up with my brother’s jokes. 

44. Once — once

English word: Once

Spanish translation: Una vez

I’ve only been to Africa once. 
Solo he estado en África una vez. 

Spanish word: Once

English translation: Eleven

Julia tiene once años.
Julia is eleven years old.

45. Recollection — recolección

English word: Recollection

Spanish translation: Recuerdo

I don’t have a recollection of those events.
No recuerdo esos hechos. 

Spanish word: Recolección

English translation: Harvest

La recolección de vegetales es un trabajo duro.
Vegetable harvesting is hard work.

46. Grocery — grosería

English word: Grocery

Spanish translation: Comestibles 

I’m going to buy some groceries.
Voy a comprar algunos comestibles.

Spanish word: Grosería

English translation: Rudeness

Eso fue una grosería. 
That was rude.

47. Ultimately — últimamente

English word: Ultimately

Spanish translation: a la larga / en última instancia

Ultimately, you’ll see I was right. 
A la larga, verás que yo tenía razón.

Spanish word: Últimamente

English translation: Lately

No te he visto mucho últimamente.
I haven’t seen you much lately. 

48. Library — librería

English word: Library

Spanish translation: Biblioteca

Emilio is studying in the library.
Emilio está estudiando en la biblioteca.

Spanish word: Librería

English translation: Bookstore

Voy a la librería a comprar una novela. 
I’m going to the bookstore to buy a novel.

49. Code — codo

English word: Code

Spanish translation: Código

This message is in morse code. 
Este mensaje está en código morse.

Spanish word: Codo

English translation: Elbow

José me pegó con el codo. 
Jose hit me with his elbow. 

50. Bomber — bombero

English word: Bomber

Spanish translation: Bombardero

I want to be a bomber pilot. 
Quiero ser piloto de un bombardero. 

Spanish word: Bombero

English translation: Firefighter

Mi novio es bombero. 
My boyfriend is a firefighter. 

51. Advertisement — advertencia

English word: Advertisement

Spanish translation: Anuncio / publicidad

Monica creates advertisements for her job. 
Mónica crea anuncios para su trabajo. 

Spanish word: Advertencia

English translation: Warning

Esta es mi última advertencia.
This is my last warning. 

52. Constipated — constipado

English word: Constipated

Spanish translation: Estreñido

I’m constipated. 
Estoy estreñido

Spanish word: Constipado

English translation: To have a cold

María está constipada.
María has a cold. 

53. Vase — vaso

English word: Vase

Spanish translation: Jarrón

Who broke grandma’s vase? 
¿Quién rompió el jarrón de la abuela?

Spanish word: Vaso

English translation: (Drinking) glass

¿Me sirves un vaso de agua?
Can you pour me a glass of water?

54. Target — tarjeta

English word: Target

Spanish translation: Objetivo

What’s your target market?
¿Cuál es tu mercado objetivo?

Spanish word: Tarjeta

English translation: Card

Tengo que pagar mi tarjeta de crédito. 
I have to pay my credit card. 

55. Ingenuity — ingenuidad

English word: Ingenuity

Spanish translation: Ingenio

Human ingenuity is amazing. 
El ingenio humano es impresionante. 

Spanish word: Ingenuidad

English translation: Naivete

La ingenuidad de los niños es enternecedora.
Children’s naivete is touching. 

Study These False Cognates and Improve Your Spanish

By learning Spanish, you’re opening your world to talk to more people, as there are 41 million native Spanish speakers in the US—and knowing how to use true and false cognates correctly helps you to connect better during conversations, while you face fewer issues from the language barrier.

Learning these false cognates in Spanish will not only save you from many embarrassing situations, but enhance the quality of your communication! 

Do you want to try speaking Spanish in real-time with a real person? Sign up for a free trial class with one of our certified, native Spanish speaking teachers from Guatemala. We teach over 24,000 actively enrolled students every month, offer flexible scheduling, and student-tailored Spanish programs. 

Don’t forget! Make sure to download the list PDF of Spanish-English false cognates and study them at home to keep improving your Spanish. 

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