50 False Friends: English Words That Trick Spanish Speakers

Have you ever confidently used an English word because it looked just like a Spanish word—only to get a strange look in return? You've encountered a false friend (falso amigo). These tricky words look almost identical in both languages but have completely different meanings.

Spanish and English share thousands of true cognates (words that look similar AND mean the same thing) thanks to their Latin roots. But scattered among them are these deceptive false friends, waiting to trip you up. Let's master 50 of the most common ones.

The Most Embarrassing False Friends

These false friends can lead to particularly awkward situations:

Common Daily Life False Friends

These words come up frequently in everyday conversation:

Academic and Professional False Friends

Watch out for these in school and work settings:

Action Verbs That Trick You

These verb false friends are especially tricky because they come up in daily conversation:

Describing People and Things

These adjectives and descriptive words cause frequent confusion:

Food and Objects

Don't order the wrong thing at a restaurant!

How to Avoid False Friend Mistakes

1. When in Doubt, Check

If a word seems too easy because it looks like Spanish, pause and verify. These "easy" words are often the trickiest.

2. Learn Them in Pairs

Study both the false friend AND the correct translation together:

• embarazada = pregnant → avergonzado = embarrassed
• librería = bookstore → biblioteca = library

3. Create Mental Images

Picture a pregnant woman when you hear "embarazada" to break the false connection to "embarrassed."

4. Practice With Context

Use each word in a sentence:

• "She's embarazada" = She's expecting a baby
• "She's embarrassed" = She feels ashamed

Quick Reference: The Top 10 to Memorize First

1. actual → current (NOT actual)
2. embarazada → pregnant (NOT embarrassed)
3. librería → bookstore (NOT library)
4. éxito → success (NOT exit)
5. sensible → sensitive (NOT sensible)
6. realizar → accomplish (NOT realize)
7. asistir → attend (NOT assist)
8. pretender → try (NOT pretend)
9. largo → long (NOT large)
10. simpático → nice (NOT sympathetic)

Conclusion

False friends exist because Spanish and English both borrowed from Latin, but the words evolved differently over centuries. The good news is that once you learn these 50 pairs, you'll avoid the most common traps.

Keep this list handy and review it regularly. With practice, you'll automatically use the correct word—and avoid those awkward moments when "embarazada" doesn't mean what you thought it did!

Want to practice pronunciation of these tricky words? Check out our pronunciation practice exercises.