Appendix:Glossary of false friends

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

Written edit

A edit

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
actual (Romanian)

actual (Spanish)
actueel (Dutch)
aktuala (Esperanto)
actuel (French)
aktuell (German)
aktualny (Polish)
aktualan, -na, -no (Croatian)
aktuelan (Serbian)
attuale (Italian)
atual (Portuguese)
актуальный (Russian)

actual current real, verdadero/a, efectivo (Spanish)

reale, vero/a, effettivo (Italian)
реальный, фактический, действительный; всамделишный (pop), настоящий (official) (Russian)

adepte (French)

adepto (Italian)
adept (Romanian)
adept (Polish)
adepto (Portuguese)
adepto (Spanish)
адепт (Russian)

adept (proficient) follower adroit, habile (French)

experto, hábil (Spanish)
умелый, мастер (Russian)

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
advertência (Portuguese)

advertencia (Spanish)
avertissement (French)
avertisment (Romanian)
avvertenza (Italian)

advertisement warning anuncio (Spanish)

pubblicità (Italian)

affluent (French)

afluent (Romanian)
afluente (Spanish)
affluente (Italian)

affluent (wealthy) tributary (of a river) [effluent] rico, adinerado (Spanish)

ricco, abbiente, facoltoso (Italian)

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
ail (French) ail (sicken) garlic
aimer (French) to aim to love or to like
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 (French, Finnish, Italian, Romanian, Hebrew, Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian)

Ananas (German)
Ananás (Portuguese)

bananas pineapple banaani (Finnish)

Banane (German) banane (French) banane (Croatian)

ancien (French) ancient can mean very old but often means just former, ex-
anciano (Spanish)

anziano (Italian)

ancient very old, elderly person, can be ascribed to a person without negative connotation antiguo (Spanish)

antico (Italian)

ânon (French) anon (short for anonymous) baby donkey
anser (Latin) answer goose
anus (Latin) anus old woman
apologie (French)

apologie (Romanian)
apología (Spanish)
apologia (Italian and Portuguese)

apology praise, vindication disculpa (Spanish)

scusa (Italian

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)

brazo (Spanish)
braccio (Italian)

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)

attendere (Italian)
attendre (French)

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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

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

Spoken edit

  • Arranged in order by the English words

B edit

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

E edit

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

I edit

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, , occhio
ai (Italian) I, aye, eye to the io, , occhio

S edit

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

Y edit

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