Appendix:Glossary of false friends

See also: Category:False cognates and false friends involving English

Examples of false cognates and false friends between English and other languages:

Written

A

Non-English word	Which resembles English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
a (Hungarian)	a	the	egy
a (French)	a	has (third-person singular)	un(e)
à (French)	a	to, at, of, until	un(e)
abbé (French)	abbey	priest or abbot	abbaye
accuser (French)	accuse	can mean "to acknowledge" (accuser réception = acknowledge receipt), although it means "accuse" in most cases
aktualan, -na, -no (Croatian) actueel (Dutch) aktuala (Esperanto) actuel (French) aktuell (German) attuale (Italian) aktualny (Polish) atual (Portuguese) actual (Romanian, Spanish) актуальный (Russian) aktuelan (Serbian)	actual	current	réel(le), vrai(e), effectif/ve (French) reale, vero/a, effettivo (Italian) реальный, фактический, действительный; всамделишный (pop), настоящий (official) (Russian) real, verdadero/a, efectivo (Spanish)
adepte (French) adepto (Italian) adept (Polish) adepto (Portuguese) adept (Romanian) адепт (Russian) adepto (Spanish)	adept (proficient)	follower	expert(e), adroit, habile (French) умелый, мастер (Russian) experto, hábil (Spanish)
administré (French)	administered	citizen (as seen from an elected official; old-fashioned) user of a public administration (old-fashioned) may also mean "administered"
ado (French)	ado (fuss)	short for adolescent
avertissement (French) avvertenza (Italian) advertência (Portuguese) avertisment (Romanian) advertencia (Spanish)	advertisement	warning	publicité, annonce (French) pubblicità (Italian) anuncio (Spanish)
affluent (French) affluente (Italian) afluent (Romanian) afluente (Spanish)	affluent (wealthy)	tributary (of a river) [effluent]	riche, (Cajun) argenté(e) (French) ricco, abbiente, facoltoso (Italian) rico, adinerado (Spanish)
After (German)	after	anus	nach
affettare (Italian)	affect	slice	fare effetto su, influenzare, influire
agencé (French)	agency	laid out or arranged
agent (French) agente (Spanish)	agent	officer, police officer, agent	policier (French)
ail (French)	ail (sicken)	garlic
aimer (French)	to aim	to love or to like	viser
air (Indonesian)	air	water	udara
aire (French)	air	area (mathematics)	air
alas (Finnish)	alas!	down (direction)	ikävä kyllä, valitettavasti
ale (Finnish)	ale (pronounced [eil])	short for alennus "discount" in alennusmyynti "discount sale"	olut
allegare (Italian)	(to) allege	enclose, attach (as in documents)	dichiarare, affermare, asserire
alerte (French)	alert	agile, alert
also (German)	also	thus	auch
allure (French)	allure (the power to attract)	speed, bearing; allure
alto (French)	alto (singer)	viola, alto (singer)
alto (Italian, Portuguese and Spanish)	alto (singer)	high; in Spanish it can also mean "stop!" (imperative)
ampua (Finnish)	to amputate	to shoot	amputoida
an (latin)	an, or perhaps on when read	or
ananas (Bosnian, Croatian, Finnish, French, Hebrew, Italian, Romanian, and Serbian) Ananas (German) ananás (Portuguese)	bananas	pineapple	banane (Croatian) banaani (Finnish) banane (French) Banane (German)
ancien (French)	ancient	can mean very old but often means just former, ex-
anziano (Italian) anciano (Spanish)	ancient	very old, elderly person, can be ascribed to a person without negative connotation	antico (Italian) antiguo (Spanish)
ânon (French)	anon (short for anonymous)	baby donkey
anser (Latin)	answer	goose
anus (Latin)	anus	old woman
apologie (French and Romanian) apologia (Italian and Portuguese) apología (Spanish)	apology	praise, vindication	excuse (French) scusa (Italian) disculpa (Spanish)
appoint (French)	appoint	(extra) contribution or help
apontar (Portuguese) apuntar (Spanish)	appoint	(to) aim; (to) note down; (to) button up; (to) point at	nombrar (for "nominate" meaning) (Spanish)
arc (French and Romanian)	arc, ark	bow (weapon), arc, arch
arm (German)	arm (body part)	poor (but it does also mean arm as in body-part)	arm
arme (French) arma (Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese)	arm (body part)	weapon	bras (French) braccio (Italian) brazo (Spanish)
arsenik (Danish)	arsenic (element)	poisonous compound	arsenic trioxide (Danish)
as (Spanish, Polish, Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrian, Slovenian, Bulgarian, Serbian and French)	ass / as	ace	asno / como (adverb) (Spanish)
asbestos (Greek)	asbestos	quicklime
ask (Swedish)	ask	small box; ash (tree)	fråga
Ass (German)	ass	ace
aß (German)	ass	ate
assortie (French)	assorted	matched, matching
assister (French) asistir (Spanish) assistere (Italian)	assist	attend (means both assist and attend in Italian and Spanish)
atendi (Esperanto) attendre (French) attendere (Italian)	attend	to wait for; to expect
atender (Spanish)	attend (an event)	to attend to, to serve, to take care of	asistir, presentarse a (Spanish)
atomiki bomba (Greek)	atomic bomb	hand grenade
aura (Finnish)	aura	plough

B

Non-English word	Which resembles English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
bad (Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish) Bad (German)	bad	bath	in the sense of poor quality: schlecht (German) slecht (Dutch) dårlig (Danish and Norwegian) dålig (Swedish) in the sense of malicious: böse (German) boos (Dutch) ondskabsfuld (Danish) elak (Swedish)
bald (German)	bald	soon	kahl
barn (Danish, Swedish) bairn (Scots)	barn	child, children	lade (Danish)
beg (Manx)	big	little
bekommen (German)	become	obtain, receive, get (compare English "come by") (Note: There is a joke to this in German: a German comes into a British restaurant and waits half an hour for his food. Finally, he asks the waiter:"When shall I become my steak?" "I should hope never, sir."	werden
beraten (German)	berate	advise, discuss
big (Dutch)	big	piglet
bilion (Romanian, Bosnian, Montenegrian, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Serbian) bilijun (Croatian) bilijon (Slovenian) bilione (Italian) biljon (Swedish) Billion (German) billion (Danish, French and Norwegian) billón (Spanish)	billion	'Trillion' (1012 or million million) - see billion.	milliard (Dansh) miljard (Swedish) milliarde (German) милиард (Bulgarian) миллиард (Russian) Мільярд (Ukrainian, Belarusian) Milijarda or милијарда (Slovenian, Croatian, Serbian, Montenegrian, Bosnian, Maacedonian) Miljardi (Latvian)
blesser (French)	(to) bless	(to) injure
bloc (Spanish) Block (German) blok (Danish, Serbian) block (Swedish)	block	can mean note pad	blokering (Danish) blokiranje (Croatian)
boleta (Spanish)	bullet	admission ticket
bog (Danish)	bog	book	mose, sump
bog (Serbo-Croatian, Russian)	bog	god	tresetište (Serbo-Croatian) boloto (Russian)
bolond (Hungarian)	blonde	fool	szőke (Hungarian)
bond (French)	bond	leap, bound
Boot (German) boot (Dutch)	boot	boat	Stiefel (German) laars, bot (Dutch)
branche (Danish) brancher (French)	branch	Line of work (Danish) (to) be plugged in, (to) be cool (colloq.) (French)	afdeling (Danish)
brand (Danish, Swedish, Dutch) Brand (German)	brand	fire (the emergency)	mærke (Danish)
bras (Danish)	bra(ssiere)s	junk, trash (as in low quality)	[brysteholder (old) | BH (each letter pronounced separately)]
bras (French)	bra(ssiere)s	arm (the body part)
brat (брат) (Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Serbian and Macedonian) brat (Croatian, Slovenian, Bosnian, Montenegrian) brat (Slovak, Polish)	brat	brother	негодник, паршивец (child) (Russian) derište (deh-rish-teh) (Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian, Montenegrian)
brav (German) bravo/a (Italian) braaf (Dutch)	brave	well-behaved	mutig (German)
Brief (Dutch, German)	brief	letter (mail)	kurz
brushing (French)	to brush	a blow-dry (hairdresser's)
brutaal (Dutch)	brutal	bold

C

Non-English word	Which resembles English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
calzón / calzones (Spanish), calzone / calzoni (Italian), caleçon (French)	calzone	underwear (of course calzone comes from Italian, but in that language the main use of the word is for underwear)
canto (Latin, Italian and Spanish)	canto	I sing; in Spanish, can also mean pebble, edge, or piece
car (French)	car	bus or coach; because	auto, voiture
Car (German)	car	charter bus, motor coach	Auto, Wagen
car (Romanian)	car	I carry
car (Polish)	car	tsar
carácter (Spanish) carattere (Italian) caractère (French) характер (Russian)	character	temperament; can also mean "character" in the typographic meaning
carpeta (Spanish)	carpet	folder	alfombra, alfombrilla
casino (Italian)	casino	brothel	casinò
casquette (French)	casket	cap	cercueil
casualmente (Spanish, Italian and Portuguese)	casually	fortuitously	despreocupadamente, con aire de indiferencia (Spanish) con nonchalance, in modo disinvolto Italian
caution (French) cauzione (Italian) Kaution (German	caution	deposit, bail	attenzione, cautela (Italian) Vorsicht (German)
cave (French)	cave	hollow; cellar	cellier
chair (French)	chair	flesh	chaise
champiñón (Spanish) champignon (French)	champion	mushroom (Spanish), "Paris mushroom" (French)
chance (French)	chance	luck (can mean chance, but is used for luck as often)
chat (French)	chat (conversation)	cat
chef (French) Chef (German) szef (Polish) šef (Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian, Montenegrian) шеф (Russian)	chef	boss (in French, occasionally means "cook" or "head cook")
cognato (Italian)	cognate	brother-in-law
coin (French)	coin	corner	pièce
compromiso (Spanish)	compromise	commitment
conductor (Spanish) conducteur (French)	conductor	driver (or conductor in the sense "conductor of electricity, heat etc.")	collector of fares on public transport: receveur (French) revisor (Spanish) director of an orchestra: chef d'orchestre (French) director (Spanish)
constipado (Spanish)	constipated	someone who has a cold	estreñido
contesto (Italian)	contest	context	gara, concorso, competizione (as a noun)
coquille (French)	cockle	scallop	coque
corne (French) corno (Italian) cuerno (Spanish)	corn	horn	mais, granturco (grain) (Italian) maíz (grain) (Spanish)
crayon (French) creion (Romanian)	crayon	pencil	crayon de cire ((French)
culte (French) kult (Polish) culto (Spanish)	cult	worship (as in lieu de culte = house of worship). In Spanish it can also mean "educated".
culo (Spanish and Italian)	cool	buttocks, arse	fresco (Spanish and Italian)

D

Non-English word	Which resembles English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
damit (German)	damn it	for this reason	verdammt (German)
demandar (Spanish)	to demand	to sue
demander (French) domandare (Italian)	to demand	to ask or request
die (German)	(to) die	the [feminine and plural article; example: die Ehefrau (the wife), die Häuser (the houses)]	sterben
dick (German)	dick (slang for the penis or a detective) also short for Richard, e.g. in idiom "every Tom, Dick and Harry"	fat (adjective only), thick
diverse (Swedish and German)	diverse	various	mångsidig (Swedish)
diverso (Italian)	diverse	different
divisa (Italian)	devise	uniform (as in distinctive clothing)
dag (דג) (Hebrew)	dog	fish
Deutsch (German)	dutch	german	Holländisch
Dom (German)	dome	cathedral	Kuppel
dom (Croatian, Bosnian, Montenegrian, Serbian, Polish)	dome	home	kopuła (Polish) kupola (Montenegrian, Bosnian, Serbian, Croatian, Slovenian, Macedonian)
dungo (Esperanto)	dung	employment
douche (Dutch, French) dusch (Swedish) Dusche (German)	douche	shower (bath)
drei (German)	dry	three	trocken

E

Non-English word	Which resembles English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
egg (Swedish)	egg	edge of a cutting tool, such as knife edge	ägg
ego (Latin)	ego	I
eleven (Spanish)	eleven	elevate! (imperative tense)	once
eleven (Hungarian)	eleven	the living	tizenegy
embarazada (Spanish)	embarrassed	pregnant
embarazada (Spanish)	embarrassed	pregnant
angajat (Romanian) engagerad (Swedish)	engaged	considered or involved in something in Swedish; involved or employed in Romanian
entrée (French)	entrée, main dish	entrance, entry, or appetizer
etichetă (Romanian) etichetta (Italian) etiket (Dutch) Etiketa (Montenegrian, Serbian, Macedonian, Bosnian) Etikett (German) etiqueta (Spanish) étiquette (French) etiketti (Finnish)	etiquette	label (can also mean etiquette in Finnish, French, Spanish, Bosnian, Macedonian, Montenegrian or Serbian, but is mostly used as label)
europé (Swedish)	Europe	European person	Europa
eventual (Romanian) eventualmente (Interlingua, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish) eventueel (Dutch) eventuell (German and Swedish]) eventuelt (Norwegian) éventuellement (French) ewentualnie (Polish)	eventually	maybe, perhaps, possibly
éxito (Spanish)	exit	success

F

Non-English word	Which resembles English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
fabbrica (Italian) fabrică (Romanian) fábrica (Spanish) fabriek (Dutch) Fabrik (German) fabrik (Swedish) fabrika (Serbian) fabryka (Polish) fabrique (French)	fabric	factory (compare 'fabricate') Possible origin due to large Victorian factories producing woven fabric.	tela, tejido (Spanish stoffa, tessuto Italian) stoff (German)
facilidad (Spanish) facilité (French) facilità (Italian)	facility	ease
fagotto (Italian) fagot (Spanish) Fagott (German) fagotti (Finnish)	faggot	bassoon
Fahrt (German) vaart (Dutch)	fart	German: journey; speed; trip, excursion, voyage Dutch: similar, but only used for ships, also canal	Blähung, Furz (German)
fakkiutua (Finnish)	fuck [fak]	"overspecialize" (from Swedish infack, a cognate to archaic English fac "trade, profession")	vittu (swear word), naida (literal)
familiär (German)	familiar	familial
familiares (Spanish)	familiar	relatives, kin	(adj.) conocido, familiar
familiya (фамилия) (Russian)	family	surname
far (French)	far	a kind of dessert from Brittany
far (Romanian)	far	lighthouse
far (Swedish)	far	father
fart (Swedish)	fart	speed
fart (Polish)	fart	luck
fast (German)	fast	nearly, almost	schnell
fast (Swedish)	fast	firm, steady (compare "steadfast")	snabb
fat (Swedish)	fat	(dinner) plate
fat (發) (Cantonese)	fat	to exhibit; to distribute; prosperity (used in conjunction with 財, as in gong hei fat choi)
fattoria (Italian)	factory	farm	fabbrica
fila (Spanish)	file (chess)	rank	columna
file (French)	file	line; queue (in computing)	fichier (set of papers), lime (tool), colonne (in chess)
final (Romanian)	finally (as in "at last")	at the end (as in "finish")
fing (Hungarian)	finger	fart	ujj
flint (Swedish)	flint	bald head
for (Esperanto)	for	away
foresto (Esperanto)	forest	absence
fort (French) forte (Italian)	fort	strong (but can also mean fort)
four (French)	four	oven	quatre
fyr (Danish)	fir	pine	ædelgran

G

Non-English word	Which resembles English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
gabinetto (Italian)	cabinet	toilet (but it can also mean "cabinet" in the political sense)	armadio, pensile
garder (French)	guard	to keep, e.g., gardez froid=keep cool [of food, etc.]
Gift (German) gif (Dutch)	gift	poison	Geschenk (German)
gift (Swedish)	gift	married, poison	gåva
gimnaziu (Romanian) Gymnasium (German, Dutch and Swedish)	gym(nasium)	high(er) school, grammar school (see Secondary education)	Turn-, Sporthalle (German)
glass (Swedish)	glass	icecream	glas
Glut (German)	glut	heat; glow; embers
go (Japanese)	to go	Chinese board game
greippi (Finnish)	grape	grapefruit	viinirypäle
gren (Swedish)	green	branch	grön
grippe (French) Grippe (German) gripa / gripe (Spanish) gripe (Portuguese)	grip (hold) or gripe (complaint)	influenza
groin (French)	groin	snout
grosería (Spanish)	grocery	profanity, bad word
gun (pronounced as gwun in Chinese)	gun	a Chinese weapon

H

Non-English word	Which resembles English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
Handy (German)	handy	mobile phone, cell phone ("Handy" is not really German, it is artificial (pseudo-English) from English and German "hand", but most Germans think that the word is English). It's a pseudo-anglicism.	nutzlich
happi (Finnish)	happy	Oxygen
hat (Hungarian)	hat	six
hat (German)	hat	has - As in: He has a cold; She has a dog; It has a name	Hut
he (Finnish)	he	they (plural of he/she)	hän
hell (German)	hell	bright	Hölle
herb (German)	herb	harsh	Kraut, pl. Kräuter
herb (Polish)	herb	coat of arms	zioło
hiiri (Finnish)	hire	mouse	palkata
hintti (Finnish)	hint	a homosexual man	vinkki
hiy (היא) (Hebrew)	he	she
hoek (Dutch; pronounced like English hook)	hook	corner	haak
home (Finnish)	home (pronounced IPA , confusable in spelling only — Finnish word pronounced like IPA (hoh-meh)	mold	koti
horno (Spanish)	horn	oven	cuerno
Hose (German)	hose	(pair of) trousers	(Garten) -schlauch
host (Czech)	host	guest
hot (Swedish)	hot	threat
Hut (German)	hut	hat	Hütte
huta (Polish)	hut	steel works
huw (Hebrew)	who	he

I

Non-English word	Which resembles English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
ai (Finnish)	I /ai/	oh	minä
i (Latin)	I	go! (imperative)	ego
i (Swedish)	I	in	jag
i (Polish)	I	and	ja
Igel (German)	eagle	hedgehog	Adler
igel (Swedish)	eagle	leech	örn
incidente (Italian)	incident	accident, crash (car wreck)	episodio, vicenda
is (Norwegian and Danish)	is	ice cream, ice	er
is (Latin)	is	you go; he (personal pronoun)	est
is (Swedish)	is	ice	är
Island (Swedish, Danish, Norwegian and German) Islande (French) Islanda (Italian) Islandia (Spanish) Islândia (Portuguese)	island	Iceland	ö (Swedish) ø (Danish) øy (Norwegian) Insel (German) île (French) isola (Italian) isla (Spanish) ilha (Portuguese)
it (Latin)	it	he/she/it goes	id

J

Non-English word	Which resembles English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
juntta (Finnish)	junta [hunta]	pile driver, ramming machine
juu (Finnish)	you [juu]	yeah

K

Non-English word	Which resembles English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
Kaution (German)	caution	deposit, bail	Vorsicht
kabinet (кабинет) (Russian)	cabinet	office
kamppi (Finnish)	camp	tripping up	leiri
kanto (Finnish)	canto	treestump
kar (Albanian)	car	dick	makinë, veturë, automobil
kedr (Кедр) (Russian)	cedar	Siberian Pine
kid (Swedish)	kid (baby goat, child)	fawn
killa (Swedish)	kill, killer	tickle, scratch	döda, dödare
killinki (Finnish)	killing	farthing, coin	tappo, tappaminen
Kind (German)	kind	child
kind (Swedish)	kind	cheek
Kinn (German)	kin	chin
kissa (Finnish)	kiss	cat	suudella (verb), suudelma (noun)
klozeto (Esperanto)	closet	water closet	kamero
koi (Finnish)	coy /koi/	dawn
kontroll (Swedish) kontrollieren (German)	control	check, examine
korn (Swedish)	corn	barley
Kraft (German) kraft (Swedish)	craft	power, strength
kreatur (Swedish)	creature	cattle
Kritik (German)	critic	criticism, review
kropp (Swedish)	crop	body, mathematical field
kut (Dutch)	cut	cunt (vulgar)
kuula, koolaus (Finnish)	cool [kuul], cooling	kuula: bullet; (of granules) pellet, ball koolaus: studwork (in construction)
känni	canny /käni/	(the experience of) drunkenness

L

Non-English word	Which resembles English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
lack (Swedish), lakka (Finnish)	lack	lacquer
lakki (Finnish)	lack	lakki: hat, cap (the clothing accessory)	puute
lammas (Finnish)	Lammas	sheep
lappu (Finnish)	lap	slip, tag, label, patch	syli
Last (German) last (Swedish, Dutch) lasti (Finnish)	last	load, burden	letze (German), sist (Swedish)
leg (Swedish)	leg	ID, identification papers (short for "legitimation")	ben
librairie (French) librería (Spanish) libreria (Italian)	library	bookstore	biblioteca (Spanish and Italian) bibliothèque (French)
lime (French)	lime	file (the tool)	citron vert (fruit), chaux (mineral), tilleul (tree)
Limo (German)	limo	soft drink, lemonade
limpa (Swedish)	limp	loaf (bread), carton of cigarette packages
limppa (Finnish)	limp	short for "limonadi", lemonade	rampa
limppi (Finnish)	limp	lump	rampa
lipp (Estonian)	lip	flag, chess rook	huul
List (German) list (Swedish, Dutch)	list	cunning, artfulness, ruse	Liste (German) lista (Swedish) lijst (Dutch)
list (лист) (Russian)	list	leaf
listiä (Finnish)	to list	bump off, (of insects) kill	listata
lokki (Finnish)	lock	seagull	lukko
lukki (Finnish)	luck	spider	onni
lul (Dutch)	lull	penis (vulgar)
lump (Swedish)	lump	discarded fabric, slang for mandatory military service	klump
lujuria (Spanish) lussuria (Italian) luxure (French)	luxury	lust
Lust (German) lust (Swedish)	lust	wish, intent	Begierde (German)

M

Non-English word	Which resembles English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
ma (מה) (Hebrew)	ma (mother)	what?	ima (אמא)
maa (Finnish)	ma (mother)	earth, ground	äiti
magasin (French) magazzino (Italian) magazin (магазин) (Russian)	magazine	store, shop; also warehouse in Italian	rivista (Italian)
mai (مّي) (Arabic)	my (/mai/)	water
main (French)	main	hand	principal (m.), principale (f.)
malard (French)	mallard	drake	canard colvert
male (Italian)	male	evil (n.), bad, wicked, evil (adj.)	maschio (n.); maschile (adj.)
mama (მამა) (Georgian)	mother	father	deda (დედა)
Marmelade(German)	marmalade	jam
Marone (German)	maroon	chestnut
mayim (מים) (Hebrew)	mime	water	Pantomimai (פנטומימאי)
me (Finnish and Estonian)	me /mii/	we	minua, minut
me (麼) (Mandarin)	me (phonetic false cognate: may)	interrogative marker
me (Sumerian)	me (phonetic false cognate: may)	(divine) aura
merci (French)	mercy	thank you
mi (מי) (Hebrew)	me	who?	Oti (אותי)
mille (Italian and French) Mille (German (slang)) mil (Spanish)	million, mile	thousand; also "mile" in French
mille (Finnish)	mill	to what, to which	mylly
miséricorde (French) misericordia (Italian and Spanish)	misery	mercy, forgiveness
Mist (German)	mist	manure, droppings
miting (Serbian)	meeting	political demonstration
Mode (German) mode (Swedish, Dutch) moda (Spanish and Italian)	mode	fashion, haute couture
moneda (Spanish) moneta (Italian) monnaie (French)	money	currency; also "coin" in Spanish and Italian and "change" (returned from a purchase) in French	dinero (Spanish) soldi, denaro (Italian) argent (French)
Mörder (German)	murder	murderer	Mord

N

Non-English word	Which resembles English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
nai (ναι) (Greek) no (Czech, Polish)	nay, no	yes
nicht (German)	night	not	nacht
no (Finnish)	no /nou/	uh, well	ei
noleggio (Italian)	knowledge	hire, rental	conoscenza
Not (German)	not	need (noun)	nicht
Novelle (German) novell (Swedish) novella (Italian) novela (Spanish) novelli (Finnish) nouvelle (French)	novel	short story, novella	roman (French)

O

Non-English word	Which resembles English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
on (Polish) on (Serbian)	on	he
on (Finnish)	on	is	-lla, -llä suffixes
once (Spanish)	once	eleven	una vez
or (French)	or	gold, now (introducing second proposition of a syllogism)	ou
ostrica (Italian)	ostrich	oyster	struzzo
ours (French)	ours	a bear	le nôtre / la nôtre / les nôtres

P

Non-English word	Which resembles English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
paa (Finnish)	pa (father)	Colloquial for "put" (literal) or "have sex" (slang)	isä (literal) or isi (childish)
pain (French)	pain	bread
paini (Finnish)	pain	wrestling	kipu
pan (Spanish, Japanese)	pan	bread	sartén (kitchen cookware)
pan (Polish)	pan	sir, mister
papa (Spanish)	papa (father)	potato (in American Spanish)	papá
parente (Italian) pariente (Spanish)	parent	relative, member of kin	genitore (Italian) padre (Spanish)
passer (un examen) (French)	pass (an exam)	take (an exam)	réussir (un examen)
pateettinen (Finnish)	pathetic	high-flown (i.e. full of pathos)	säälittävä
patetic (Romanian) pathétique (French)	pathetic	emotional (in French, can also mean pathetic)
pathetisch (German)	pathetic	solemn, lofty	jämmerlich
pavimento (Italian)	pavement	floor
pensel (Danish, Swedish and Norwegian)	pencil	paintbrush	blyertspenna (Swedish), blyant (Danish and Norwegian)
perse (Finnish)	per se (Latinism)	arse, ass	sinänsä
pétulant (French)	petulant	playful
pie (Spanish)	pie	foot	pastel
pies (Polish)	pie	dog	ciasto
pii (Finnish)	π	silicon the element, also archaic "tooth"
pilli (Finnish)	pill	drinking straw	pilleri
pimppi (Finnish)	pimp	childish world for "female genitalia"	parittaja, sutenööri
pingouin (French)	penguin	auk
polizia (Italian) policía (Spanish)	policy	police	polizza (Italian) póliza (Spanish)
pom (Romanian)	Pommie, Pom	Fruit bearing tree
pomm (Estonian) pommi (Finnish)	Pommie, Pom	bomb
pomme (French)	Pommie, Pom	apple
postre (Spanish)	pastry	dessert	Repostería or pastelería
pregnant (Romanian, Swedish) prägnant (German)	pregnant	short but informative; remarkable, prominent	schwanger (German)
preservativo (Spanish) and (Italian) prezervativ (Romanian) Präservativ (German) prezerwatywa (Polish) préservatif (French) (1)	preservative	condom; also "preservative" in Spanish	conservante (Spanish, Italian) Konservierungsstoff (German)
prick (Swedish)	prick	dot
propaganda (Spanish)	propaganda	advertising
proces (Romanian) proces (Polish) process (Swedish) Prozess (German)	process	trial (at court)/(in Swedish and German mainly used to denote process but also means trial)
professor (Danish)	associate professor (a teacher or faculty member at a college or university) assistant professor (introductory level professor academic rank)	(full) professor (highest academic rank at universities)	lektor, adjunkt
prospecto (Spanish) prospetto (Italian) prospect (Romanian) Prospekt (German)	prospect	brochure, leaflet, prospectus	Aussicht (German)
prospekt (Swedish)	prospect	prospectus, document or brochure detailing an offer (usually from a travel agent)
prospekt (проспект) (Russian)	prospect	avenue
prune (French)	prune	plum	pruneau (n.) élaguer (v.)
pus (Finnish)	pus	onomatopoeia for a kiss	visva
pussi (Finnish)	pussy	bag	for the genitals: emätin (biological), vittu (derogatory); for pussy cats: (kissi)mirri

Q

Non-English word	Which resembles English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
queue (French)	queue	tail
quince (Spanish)	quince	fifteen

R

Non-English word	Which resembles English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
raisin (French)	raisin	grape
rankki, rankka (Finnish)	rank	rankki: distiller's grain; (in paper manufacturing) spent wash rankka: hard (on something)	arvo
Rat (German) Rathaus	rat rat house	advice; council; councilor (U.S.), councillor (Br.) town hall	Ratte Ratthaus
rat (Serbian)	rat	war
ratti (Finnish)	ratty	steering wheel	rottainen
Rest (German) rest (Swedish) reste (French) reszta (Polish) resto (Spanish and Italian)	rest	remainder(cf. "The rest is silence")
rest (Estonian)	rest	crate, grid
restar (Spanish)	(to) rest	to subtract, deduct	descansar, reposar
rester (French) restare (Italian)	(to) rest	to stay; to remain	riposare (Italian) coucher (French)
resumen (Spanish)	resume	summary	reanudar (Spanish)
riporto (Italian)	report	hair combed over a bald spot
riski (Finnish)	risky	(of persons) strong
roman (French, Serbian and Swedish) Roman (German) romaani (Finnish)	Roman	novel	romain (French) Romer, Romerska (Swedish) römisch (German) roomalainen (Finnish)
ruotsi (Finnish) Ruotsi	Russian Russia	Swedish Sweden	venäjän Venäjä

S

Non-English word	Which resembles English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
saikou (Japanese)	psycho	the best
sake (Japanese)	sake	Japanese rice wine
sale (French)	sale	dirty
sale (Italian)	sale	salt	vendita
sale (Estonian)	sale	slender
sale (Spanish)	sale	leaves (i.e. "He leaves the house")	venta
Sale (Finnish)	sale	nickname for Sauli	alennusmyynti, ale
sale (Polish)	sale	rooms
salivit (Latin)	salivate	he/she/it jumped
salvaje (Spanish)	salvage	savage	recuperar, salvar (v.)
scannare (Italian)	scan	to skin	fare scansione, scannerizzare / esaminare attentamente (as in examine minutely)
sechs (German) seks (Danish, Norwegian) sex (Swedish)	sex	six
-seksi, as a suffix (Finnish)	sexy	The suffix -nen in translative, e.g. Räikkönen -> Räikköseksi	seksi, as a noun
secte (French) Sekte (German) secta (Spanish) sekta (Serbian)	sect	cult, sect
See (German)	see	See (m.): lake; See (f): sea	Sehen (v.) Bistum, Bischofssitz (n.)
Seite (German)	site	page
seksten (Danish and Norwegian) sexton (Swedish)	sexton	sixteen
Sekt (German)	sect	champagne, sparkling wine
Sensation (German)	sensation	blowoff, scorcher
sensibel (German) sensibile (Italian) sensible (French and Spanish)	sensible	sensitive
she (舌) (Mandarin)	she	tongue
side (Finnish)	side [said]	bandage, bond, tie, blindfold	puoli
Sie (German)	see	you (formal), she, they	Sehen (v.)
Sinn (German)	sin	sense, mind, meaning, acceptance, aesthesia, signification, tenor, appreciation	Sünde
sin (Serbian)	sin	son
sin (Spanish)	sin	without	pecado
sin (Swedish)	sin	"one's own", genitive reflexive pronoun	synd
sin (spoken Finnish)	sin	short for sinne, "into there"	synti
skhema (схема) (Russian)	scheme	diagram; scheme, layout (something planned); circuit (technology); outline (general description)	схема, план, проект; интрига, махинация, козни (pl), происки (pl) (bad connotation)
slang (Swedish)	slang	hose	slang(språk), slang(ord)
Slip (German) slip (Italian)	slip (clothing)	knickers, panties	sottoveste (clothing) (Italian)
slut (Swedish)	slut	end, finish	slampa
Smoking (German) smoking (Swedish) esmoquín (Spanish)	smoking	dinner jacket (Br.), tuxedo (U.S.); but not smoking jacket
son (Spanish)	son	(they) are; song	hijo
son (French)	son	sound; bran; his/her (masculine thing possessed)	fils
soy (Spanish)	soya soybean	(I) am	soja
stark (German and Swedish)	stark	strong
step (Chumash)	step	flea
stor (Swedish)	store	big, large	affär, butik
stout (Dutch)	stout	naughty
strafen (German)	strafe	punish
subskribo (Esperanto)	subscribe	signature	abono, kotizo
sum (Latin)	sum	I am	summa
sun (spoken Finnish)	sun /san/	your	aurinko
Sveti, Sweti (several Slavic languages, e.g.:) Święty (Polish) Sveti (Свети) (Bulgarian)	sweaty	Saint
simpatic (Romanian) simpatico (Italian) simpático (Spanish and Portuguese) sympathique (French) sympathisch (German) sympatyczny (Polish) sympatisk (Swedish)	sympathetic	likeable, friendly

T

Non-English word	Which resembles English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
Tag (German) tag (Swedish)	tag	German: day Swedish: take!
tikki, täkki, takki, tukki (Finnish)	tick [tik], tack [täk], tuck [tak]	stitch, quilt, jacket, log, respectively
talli (Finnish)	tally	garage, stable
tarra (Finnish)	tar	sticker	terva
tekniikka (Finnish)	technique ([tek'niik])	technology (as a discipline)
teknologi (Swedish)	technology	technology as a discipline	teknik
ten (Spanish)	ten	take! (imperative tense)	diez
ten (Polish)	ten	this
tie, tai (Finnish)	tie [tai]	tie "road", tai "or"	sitoa, solmia (verb); solmio (noun)
Tier (German)	tier	animal
to (Polish) to (Serbian)	to (in writing)	that
tobogan (Croatian, Serbian, etc.)	toboggan	water slide
tu (Polish) tu (Croatian, Serbian)	to (in pronunciation)	here
toi (spoken Finnish; "tuo" in standard language)	toy [toi]	that	leikkikalu, lelu
t'oi (台) (Hakka)	toy	tower
trece (Spanish)	terce	thirteen
tunnista (Finnish)	Tunisian	recognize (language, face, etc.) hour, lesson	Tunisian
Tuuri (Finnish)	tour	luck	kiertue
tyranni (Finnish)	tyranny	tyrant	tyrannia

U

Non-English word	Which resembles English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
Unterstand (German)	(to) understand	shelter; dugout; bunker	verstehen

V

Non-English word	Which resembles English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
veri (Finnish)	very	blood	hyvin
vi (Croatian, Serbian)	we (in reading)	you
villa (Finnish)	villa	wool	huvila
vink (Swedish) vinkki (Finnish)	wink	hint, wave (salutation)	blink(noun, blinka(verb)) (Swedish)
vink (Dutch)	wink	finch (bird)
Virolainen (finnish)	virulent	Estonian	virulentti
vrist (Swedish)	wrist	ankle	handled

W

Non-English word	Which resembles English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
wanken (German)	(to) wank	to sway; to succumb; to stagger (esp. drunkenly)	wichsen
wanna (Polish) Wanne (German)	contraction of "want to"	bath (tub)
war (German)	war	was	Krieg
was (German)	was	what	war
Webseite (German)	web site	web page
wer (German)	where	who	wo
will (German) vill (Swedish) wil (Dutch)	will (law), will (vb.)	I/he/she/it wants
winken (German)	wink	to wave
wo (German)	who, woe	where	wer; Sorg
wǒmen (Mandarin Pinyin)	women	we

Y

Non-English word	Which resembles English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
yǒu (有) (Mandarin)	you	to have

---

Spoken

• Arranged in order by the English words

B

Non-English word	Which sounds like English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
बनाना (Hindi)	banana	To make	केला
不(Pinyin bù) (Mandarin)	boo	no, not

E

Non-English word	Which sounds like English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
այսօր (Armenian)	eyesore	today

I

Non-English word	Which sounds like English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
ինչ (Armenian)	inch	what
hai (Italian)	I, aye, eye	you have	io, sì, occhio
ai (Italian)	I, aye, eye	to the	io, sì, occhio

S

Non-English word	Which sounds like English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
是(Pinyin shì) (Mandarin)	sure	is, yes
σπαθί (Greek)	spade (in cards)	club (in cards; but can also mean sword)	μπαστούνι

Y

Non-English word	Which sounds like English	But actually means	For an equivalent of the English word use
ես (Armenian)	yes	I