Spanish vocabulary

Spanish False Friends

Words that look like English but mean something completely different. Every Spanish learner falls for these at least once — usually in public.

Why this matters: a false friend (or falso amigo) is a word that shares a root with an English word but has drifted to a different meaning. Saying estoy embarazada when you mean “I’m embarrassed” doesn’t just sound off — it means something else entirely. Learn these once, never trip on them again.

The list

constipado≠ constipated
having a cold (a head cold, congested)
embarazada≠ embarrassed
pregnant
molestar≠ to molest
to bother, to annoy
asistir≠ to assist
to attend (be present at)
carpeta≠ carpet
folder, binder
sopa≠ soap
soup
ropa≠ rope
clothes, clothing
éxito≠ exit
success
once≠ once (one time)
eleven (the number 11)
pie≠ pie (dessert)
foot
salir≠ to sail
to leave, to go out
arena≠ arena (stadium)
sand
fábrica≠ fabric
factory
librería≠ library
bookstore
lectura≠ lecture
reading (the act or material)
recordar≠ to record
to remember
realizar≠ to realize (notice)
to carry out, to perform, to achieve
soportar≠ to support
to tolerate, to put up with
pretender≠ to pretend
to intend, to try to
introducir≠ to introduce (a person)
to insert, to put in
educado≠ educated
polite, well-mannered
campo≠ camp
field, countryside
último≠ ultimate
last (most recent or final)
actual≠ actual (real, true)
current, present-day
eventualmente≠ eventually (in the end)
possibly, occasionally
sensible≠ sensible (reasonable)
sensitive (emotionally)
discutir≠ to discuss
to argue, to have a heated exchange
avisar≠ to advise
to notify, to warn, to let know
parientes≠ parents
relatives, family members
ganga≠ gang
bargain, great deal
envolver≠ to involve
to wrap, to wrap up
red≠ the color red
network, net

Stop guessing what Spanish words mean

HablaCore reads articles with you. Tap any word and get the meaning in context — not a generic dictionary entry. Then it drills the words you tapped, so they stick.

Try HablaCore free