False cognates are those words that you think you know them but you don’t, so, you think you know the meaning (because it is similar to an English word), but its meaning is different. For example: preservative and preservativo looks and sounds similar, but preservativo means “condom.”
The number of false friends between Spanish and English is anecdotal. They are just a few. It is just important to know that they exist.
The following is a list of the the most common false cognates.
| # | English | Spanish – translation | Spanish – False Friend |
| 1. | actual | actual | actual (current) |
| 2. | assist | asistir | asistir (to attend, be present at) |
| 3. | attend | asistir | atender (to pay attention |
| 4. | billion | mil millones | billón (one million million) |
| 5. | casualty | víctima | casualidad (coincidence, chance) |
| 6. | college | facultad, universidad | colegio (kid’s school, professional board) |
| 7. | constipated | estreñido | constipado (sick with a cold) |
| 8. | dormitory | residencia de estudiantes | dormitorio (bedroom) |
| 9. | embarrassed | avergonzado | embarazada (pregnant) |
| 10. | exit | salida | éxito (success) |
| 11. | fabric | tela | fábrica (factory) |
| 12. | grocery | tienda de comestibles | grosería (rudeness) |
| 13. | introduce | presentar a alguien | introducir (insert) |
| 14. | library | biblioteca | librería (bookstore) |
| 15. | molest | forzar sexualmente | molestar (bother) |
| 16. | once | una vez | once (eleven) |
| 17. | preservative | conservante | preservativo (condom) |
| 18. | realize | darse cuenta | realizar (perform) |
| 19. | record | registro | recordar (to remember, to remind) |
| 20. | rope | cuerda | ropa (clothes) |
| 21. | sane | cuerdo | sano (healthy) |
| 22. | sensible | razonable | sensible (sensitive) |
| 23. | soap | jabón | sopa (soup) |
| 24. | support | apoyar | soportar (tolerate, put up with) |
| 25. | success | éxito | suceso (event) |
| 26. | tuna | atún | tuna (cactus fruit) |
| 27. | vase | jarrón | vaso (drinking glass) |
A friend and a false friend together
There are a very few words that have two meanings and for one meaning they have a cognate (a friend) and, for another meaning, they have a false cognate (false friend).
| # | Spanish | English- translation 1 (cognate) | English – translation 2 (false cognate) |
| 1. | americano | American (from the US) | person from the Americas |
| 2. | aborto | abortion | miscarriage |
| # | English | Spanish- translation 1 (cognate) | Spanish – translation 2 (false cognate) |
| 1. | congress | congreso (congress of doctors) | Congreso (House of Representatives) |
| 2. | court | corte (supreme court) | Cortes (House of Representatives + Senate) |
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