False cognates — or falsos amigos (false friends) — are words that look identical or nearly identical to English words but mean something different in Spanish. They’re an easy trap, and some of them are genuinely embarrassing to mix up.
Here are 30 of the most common false cognates, grouped by how much trouble they can cause.
The Most Embarrassing Ones
These are the false cognates you really want to know before you travel.
Embarazada ≠ Embarrassed
Embarazada means pregnant, not embarrassed.
- Estoy embarazada. — I’m pregnant. (NOT: I’m embarrassed)
- To say embarrassed: Estoy avergonzado/a.
Excitado ≠ Excited
Excitado/a primarily means sexually aroused in Spanish, not just “excited” in the general English sense.
- To say excited (enthusiastic): Estoy emocionado/a or Estoy muy animado/a.
Molestar ≠ To Molest
Molestar means to bother or to annoy — not the English word it resembles.
- ¿Te molesta si abro la ventana? — Does it bother you if I open the window?
- No me molestes. — Don’t bother me.
Constipado ≠ Constipated
Constipado/a means you have a cold (stuffed up nose), not the digestive condition.
- Estoy constipado. — I have a cold.
- To say constipated: Estoy estreñido/a.
High-Risk Vocabulary Swaps
Sensible ≠ Sensible
Sensible in Spanish means sensitive, not sensible (reasonable).
- Es una persona muy sensible. — She’s a very sensitive person.
- To say sensible: Es muy sensato/a. or razonable
Actual ≠ Actual
Actual means current or present-day, not “actual” (real).
- El problema actual es… — The current problem is…
- To say actual: real, verdadero
Actualmente ≠ Actually
Actualmente means currently or nowadays, not “actually.”
- Actualmente vivo en Madrid. — I currently live in Madrid.
- To say actually: en realidad, de hecho
Realizar ≠ To Realize
Realizar means to carry out / to accomplish, not to realize (become aware).
- Realizaron el proyecto. — They carried out the project.
- To say realize (become aware): darse cuenta de
Asistir ≠ To Assist
Asistir means to attend, not to assist.
- Asistí a la reunión. — I attended the meeting.
- To say assist: ayudar
Pretender ≠ To Pretend
Pretender means to intend or to try to achieve — not to pretend.
- Pretendo estudiar medicina. — I intend to study medicine.
- To say pretend: fingir, hacer como si
Hablito drills the verbs behind all these tricky words — free to use.
Hablito drills verb conjugations across all tenses until they become automatic — free, no account needed.
Common Vocabulary Traps
Librería ≠ Library
Librería is a bookshop, not a library.
- Compré este libro en una librería. — I bought this book at a bookshop.
- Library: biblioteca
Carpeta ≠ Carpet
Carpeta is a folder (like a document folder or binder), not a carpet.
- Pon los documentos en esta carpeta. — Put the documents in this folder.
- Carpet: alfombra
Soap Opera ≠ Ópera de Jabón
While that’s not really a false cognate, jabón means soap (the cleaning product), nothing more. The false cognate is: Jabón does not mean any kind of entertainment.
- To say soap opera: telenovela
Gracioso ≠ Gracious
Gracioso/a means funny or amusing — not gracious (generous, elegant).
- Eres muy gracioso. — You’re very funny.
- To say gracious: cortés, amable, generoso
Ignorar ≠ To Ignore
Ignorar in Spanish more often means to not know (to be ignorant of something), though it can also mean to ignore.
- Ignoro los detalles. — I don’t know the details.
- To say ignore (deliberately): hacer caso omiso de, no hacer caso
Largo ≠ Large
Largo means long — not large (big).
- Una historia muy larga. — A very long story.
- To say large: grande
Embarcar ≠ Embarrass
Embarcar means to board (a plane, ship) or to embark.
- Embarcamos a las diez. — We boarded at ten.
False Cognates in Professional Contexts
Conductor ≠ Conductor (mostly)
Conductor in Spanish is primarily a driver — of a bus, car, etc. A musical conductor is director de orquesta.
- El conductor del autobús. — The bus driver.
Fábrica ≠ Fabric
Fábrica means factory — not fabric (the material).
- Trabaja en una fábrica. — She works in a factory.
- Fabric: tela, tejido
Introducir ≠ To Introduce (a person)
Introducir means to insert or to put something in — not to introduce people to each other.
- Introduce la tarjeta en el cajero. — Insert the card in the ATM.
- To introduce people: presentar
Éxito ≠ Exit
Éxito means success — not exit.
- La película fue un gran éxito. — The film was a great success.
- Exit: salida
Recordar ≠ To Record
Recordar means to remember — not to record.
- ¿Recuerdas su nombre? — Do you remember his name?
- To record: grabar
Practice the verbs behind these false cognates in Hablito.
Hablito drills verb conjugations across all tenses until they become automatic — free, no account needed.
More to Watch Out For
| Spanish word | Looks like | Actually means |
|---|---|---|
| colegio | college | school (K-12) |
| compromiso | compromise | commitment, engagement |
| discutir | to discuss | to argue |
| disgustado | disgusted | displeased, upset |
| emocionante | emotional | exciting, thrilling |
| propaganda | propaganda | advertising (neutral) |
| suceso | success | event, incident |
| término | term | end, finish point |
The One Rule
When a Spanish word looks exactly like an English word, don’t assume they mean the same thing. Check first — especially before using embarazada or excitado.
The good news: when a word is a true cognate, it’s a free vocabulary word. There are thousands of them. The false ones are the exception, not the rule.
Hablito helps you get comfortable with Spanish verbs through repetition — free, no account needed.
Hablito drills verb conjugations across all tenses until they become automatic — free, no account needed.