False Cognates Quiz
Can you spot the Spanish false friends?
False cognates (falsos amigos) are words that look similar in Spanish and English but have completely different meanings. They are one of the trickiest parts of learning Spanish — and one of the most common sources of embarrassing mistakes!
15 questions • Test your knowledge
What Are False Cognates (False Friends)?
False cognates, known as “falsos amigos” in Spanish, are words in two languages that look or sound similar but have different meanings. They arise because Spanish and English share many Latin and Greek roots, but over centuries these words evolved to take on different meanings in each language. Understanding false cognates is essential for avoiding miscommunication and embarrassing mistakes when speaking Spanish.
Common Spanish-English False Cognates
- embarazada looks like “embarrassed” → actually means “pregnant”
- éxito looks like “exit” → actually means “success”
- sensible looks like “sensible” → actually means “sensitive”
- librería looks like “library” → actually means “bookstore”
- constipado looks like “constipated” → actually means “having a cold”
- actual looks like “actual” → actually means “current/present”
- molestar looks like “to molest” → actually means “to bother/annoy”
- fábrica looks like “fabric” → actually means “factory”
- sopa looks like “soap” → actually means “soup”
- largo looks like “large” → actually means “long”