List of false friends

From Academic Kids

See also: false cognate, false friend, list of words, list of reference tables

Contents: Top - 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Examples of false friends between English and other languages

[edit]

A

Non-English word Which resembles English But actually means For an equivalent of the English word use
a (French) a (he/she/it) has un, une
ā (French) a at
a (Hungarian) a the egy
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) and (Spanish)

actueel (Dutch)
aktuala (Esperanto)
actuel (French)
aktuel (Danish)
aktuell (German) and (Norwegian)
aktualny (Polish)
aktuelan (Serbian)
attuale (Italian)
atual (Portuguese)

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

reale, vero/a, effettivo (Italian)
virkelig, faktisk, reel (Norwegian)
vrais (French)

adepte (French)

adept (Romanian)
adept (Polish)
adepto (Portuguese)
adepto (Spanish)

adept (proficient) follower 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
advertęncia (Portuguese)

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

advertisement warning anuncio (Spanish)

pubblicitā (Italian)
publicité (French)

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 agence
agent (French)

agente (Spanish)

agent officer, police officer, agent
ail (French) ail (sicken) garlic
aimer (French) to aim to love or to like viser
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" ale-olut [eil 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, Norwegian and Serbian)

Ananas (German)
Ananás (Portuguese)

bananas pineapple banaani (Finnish), Banane (German), banan (Norwegian)
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)

ankara (Finnish) Ankara strict
ânon (French) anon (short for anonymous) baby donkey anonyme
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)
excuse (French)

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
arm (German and Norwegian) (not used much in Norwegian) arm (body part) poor
arme (French)

arma (Spanish, Italian and Portuguese)

arm (body part) weapon brazo (Spanish)

braccio (Italian)
bras (French)

as (Spanish, Polish, Serbian and French) ass / as ace asno / como (adverb) (Spanish)
asbestos (Greek) asbestos quicklime
asia (Finnish) Asia errand, issue, matter, an abstract "thing" Aasia
ask (Swedish) ask small box; ash (tree) fråga
aß, ass (German) ass ate Arsch, Hintern
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 sädekehä (a divine aura, halo)
[edit]

B

Non-English word Which resembles English But actually means For an equivalent of the English word use
Bad (German) bad bath schlecht (poor quality), böse (malicious)
bald (German) bald soon glatzköpfig
barn (Swedish)

bairn (Scots)

barn child, children
beg (Manx) beg; 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, Serbian)

bilione (Italian)
biljon (Swedish)
Billion (German)
billion (French and Norwegian)
billón (Spanish)

 billion 'Trillion' (1012 or million million) - see billion. miljard (Swedish), milliard (Norwegian)
blesser (French) (to) bless (to) injure
bloc (Spanish)

Block (German)
blok (Serbian)
block (Swedish)
blokk (Norwegian)

block can mean note pad
boleta (Spanish) bullet admission ticket
bond (French) bond leap, bound
brancher (French) branch (to) be plugged in, (to) be cool (colloq.)
brand (Swedish, Dutch)

Brand (German)

brand fire (the emergency) Marke, Warenzeichen (German)
bras (French) bra(ssiere)s arm (the body part)
brat (брат) (Russian, Serbian)

brat (Polish)

brat brother
brav (German)

bravo/a (Italian)
braaf (Dutch)

brave well-behaved mutig (German)

coraggioso (Italian)

Brief (Dutch, German) brief letter (mail) kurz
brushing (French) to brush a blow-dry (hairdresser's)
brutaal (Dutch) brutal bold
Bulle (German) bull cop (Bulle in German means "bull", but also [sl.] cop, policeman) Stier/Bulle
bulle (Swedish) bull bun (pastry) oxe
[edit]

C

Non-English word Which resembles English But actually means For an equivalent of the English word use
calzķn / calzones (Spanish), calzone / calzoni (Italian), caleįon (French) calzone underwear (of course calzone comes from Italian, but in that language the main use of the word is for underwear)
campo (Spanish) and (Italian) camp field, country(side) campamento(Spanish)

campeggio (Italian)

canto (Latin, Italian and Spanish) canto I sing; in Spanish, can also mean pebble, edge, or piece
car (French) car bus or coach; because
Car (German) car charter bus, motor coach Auto, Wagen
car (Romanian) car I carry
car (Polish) car tsar
carácter (Spanish)

carattere (Italian)
caractčre (French)

character temperament; can also mean "character" in the typographic meaning
carpeta (Spanish) carpet folder alfombra, alfombrilla
casino (Italian) casino brothel casinō
casualmente (Spanish, Italian and Portuguese) casually fortuitously despreocupadamente, con aire de indiferencia (Spanish)

con nonchalance, in modo disinvolto (Italian)

casualidad (Spanish)

casualitā (Italian)

casualty fortuituousness, chance víctima, muerto, herido, baja, pérdida (Spanish)

vittima, morto, ferito, infortunato, perdita (Italian)

caution (French)

cauzione (Italian)

caution deposit, bail attenzione, cautela (Italian)
chair (French) chair flesh
champignon (French), champiņķn (Spanish) champion mushroom or champignon
chance (French) chance luck
chat (French) chat (conversation) cat
chef (French)

Chef (German)
szef (Polish)
šef (Serbian)
sjef (Norwegian)

chef boss (in French, occasionally means "cook" or "head cook") kokk (Norwegian)
cínico (Spanish) cynical shamelessly two-faced
cognato (Italian) cognate brother-in-law
coin (French) coin corner
come (Spanish) come eat
comprensivo (Spanish) comprehensive understanding extenso, exhaustivo
compromiso (Spanish) compromise commitment
concorrenza (Italian) concurrence competition (in the commercial sense) coincidenza, concomittanza
confetti (Italian) confetti (actually a case of pseudo-italianism rather than a false friend) sugar-coated almonds traditionally given at weddings, baptisms, etc. coriandoli
confezione (Italian) confection packaging; pack dolciume
constipado (Spanish) constipated someone who has a cold estreņido
contesto (Italian) contest context gara, concorso, competizione (as a noun)
corne (French)

corno (Italian)
cuerno (Spanish)

corn horn mais, granturco (grain) (Italian)

maíz (grain) (Spanish)

crayon (French)

creion (Romanian)

crayon pencil (a wax crayon is crayon de cire in 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 arse fresco (Spanish and Italian)
[edit]

D

Non-English word Which resembles English But actually means For an equivalent of the English word use
dag (דג) (Hebrew) dog fish
dag (Swedish and Norwegian) dog day hund (same in both languages)
damit (German) damn it for this reason verdammt
delusione (Italian) delusion disappointment illusione
demandar (Spanish) to demand to sue exigir
demander (French)

domandare (Italian)

to demand to ask or request esigere (Italian)
Deutsch (German) Dutch German Holländisch
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 Schwanz
diverse (Swedish, Norwegian and German) diverse various mångsidig (Swedish)

forskjellige, mangfoldige, ulike (Norwegian)
vielfältig (German)

diverso (Italian) diverse different svariato
divisa (Italian) devise uniform (as in distinctive clothing) ideare; inventare; escogitare
Dom (German) dome cathedral
dom (Serbian, Polish) dome home
dom (Norwegian) dome judgment kuppel
dungo (Esperanto) dung employment
douche (Dutch, French)

dusch (Swedish)
dusj (Norwegian)
Dusche (German)

douche shower (bath)
drei (German) dry three trocken
[edit]

E

Non-English word Which resembles English But actually means For an equivalent of the English word use
egg (Swedish and Norwegian) egg edge of a cutting tool, such as knife edge ägg

(egg also means egg in Norwegian)

ego (Latin) ego I
eleven (Spanish) eleven elevate! (imperative tense) once
eleven (Hungarian) eleven the living tizenegy
elev, eleven (Norwegian) eleven student elleve
empirer (French) empire to become worse
europé (Swedish) Europe European person Europa
angajat (Romanian)

engagerad (Swedish)

engaged considered or involved in something in Swedish; involved or employed in Romanian
embarazada (Spanish) embarrassed pregnant avergonzado/a
intitolare (Italian) entitle (to) title, call, give a name dare diritto a
entrée (French) entrée, main dish entrance, entry, or appetizer
equanimitā (Italian) equanimity impartiality equilibrio, serenitā
equivocare (Italian) equivocate misunderstand raggirare (verbalmente)
estate(Italian) estate summer patrimonio
etichetă (Romanian)

etichetta (Italian)
etiket (Dutch)
Etiketa (Serbian)
Etikett (German)
etikett (Norwegian)
etiqueta (Spanish)
étiquette (French)
etiketti (Finnish)

etiquette label (can also mean etiquette in Finnish, French, Spanish or Serbian, but is mostly used as label) etikette, skikk og bruk (Norwegian)
eventual (Romanian)

eventualmente (Spanish and Italian)
eventueel (Dutch)
eventuell (German, Norwegian and Swedish)
éventuellement (French)
ewentualnie (Polish)

eventually maybe, perhaps, possibly
esile (Italian) exile slender, thin; weak esilio (the state); esule, esiliato (the person)
éxito (Spanish) exit success salida
[edit]

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)
fabrikk (Norwegian)
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, tøy (Norwegian)

facilidad (Spanish)

facilité (French)
facilitā (Italian)

facility ease instalaciķn (Spanish)
fack (Swedish) fuck deposit box knulla (verb), fan (swear word)
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

 German: Furz, furzen
fakkiutua (Finnish) fuck [fak] "overspecialize" (from Swedish infack, a cognate to archaic English fac "trade, profession") vittu (swear word), naida (literal)
Falle (German) fall trap
familiär (German) familiar familial
familiares (Spanish) familiar relatives, kin (adj.) conocido, familiar
familiya (фамилия) (Russian) family surname
fan (Swedish)

faen (Norwegian)

fan fuck (swear word) vifte (e.g. electric fan) (Norwegian)
far (French) far a kind of dessert from Brittany
far (Romanian) far lighthouse
far (Swedish and Norwegian) far father
fart (Swedish and Norwegian) fart speed fjert, fis (Norwegian)
fart (Polish) fart luck
fast (German) fast nearly, almost schnell
fast (Swedish and Norwegian) fast firm, steady (compare "steadfast") snabb (Swedish)

hurtig, rask, kvikk (Norwegian)

fat (Swedish and Norwegian) fat (dinner) plate fet, fett (Norwegian)
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
file (French) file line; queue (in computing)
fin (Spanish) fin end aleta
final (Romanian) finally (as in "at last") at the end (as in "finish")
flint (Swedish) flint bald head
four (French) four oven quatre
for (Esperanto) for away
foresto (Esperanto) forest absence
fort (French)

forte (Italian)

fort strong (but can also mean fort)
full (Swedish and Norwegian) full drunk, pissed, wasted fylld (Swedish)

oppfylt (Norwegian)

[edit]

G

Non-English word Which resembles English But actually means For an equivalent of the English word use
garder (French) guard to keep, e.g., gardez froid=keep cool [of food, etc.]
Gift (German)

gif (Dutch)

 gift poison
gift (Swedish and Norwegian) gift married, poison gåva (Swedish)

gave (Norwegian)

gimnaziu (Romanian)

Gymnasium (German, Dutch and Swedish)

gym(nasium) high(er) school, grammar school (see Secondary education)
glass (Swedish) glass icecream glas
Glut (German) glut heat; glow; embers
go (Japanese) to go Japanese board game
god (Swedish and Norwegian) god good gud
gracioso (Spanish) gracious funny; cute gentil, amable
greippi (Finnish) grape grapefruit viinirypäle
grej (Swedish)

greie (Norwegian)

grey thing (slang) grå (Swedish and Norwegian)
grei (Norwegian) grey straight, clear, plain grå
gren (Swedish and Norwegian) green branch grön (Swedish)

grønn (Norwegian)

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
[edit]

H

Non-English word Which resembles English But actually means For an equivalent of the English word use
hai (Finnish and Norwegian)

Hai (German)
haj (Swedish)

high; hi! shark korkea; hei! (Finnish)

hoch; hallo! (German)
hög; hej! (|Swedish)
høy; hei! (Norwegian)

hai (Japanese) high; hi! yes
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. nützlich
Haß (German) has hatred hat
hat (German) hat (he/she/it) has Hut
hat (Hungarian) hat six kalap
hat (Norwegian) hat hate, hatred hatt
he (Finnish) he they (plural of he/she) hän
hell (German) hell bright Hölle
herb (German) herb harsh
hiiri (Finnish) hire mouse palkata
hintti (Finnish) hint gay, fairy, fag vinkki
hit (Swedish and Norwegian) hit to here slå
hiy (היא) (Hebrew) he she
home (Finnish) home (pronounced IPA Template:IPA, confusable in spelling only — Finnish word pronounced like IPA Template:IPA (hoh-meh) mold koti
horno (Spanish) horn oven cuerno
Hose (German) hose (pair of) trousers Schlauch
ospitale (Italian) hospital hospitable, gracious ospedale
host (Czech) host guest
host (Swedish and Norwegian) host cough
hot (Swedish) hot threat
huta (Polish)
hut steel works
huw (Hebrew) who he
[edit]

I

Non-English word Which resembles English But actually means For an equivalent of the English word use
i (Latin) I go! (imperative) ego
i (Irish, Swedish and Norwegian) I in mé (Irish)

jag (Swedish)
jeg (Norwegian)

i (Polish) I and
Igel (German) eagle hedgehog Adler
igel (Swedish)

igle (Norwegian)

eagle leech örn (Swedish)

ørn (Norwegian)

ignorar (Spanish) ignore It is not known whether ~ .
incidente (Italian) incident accident, crash (car wreck) episodio, vicenda
into (Finnish) into eagerness the illative case -(h)Vn (e.g. talo·on or maa·han)
is (Norwegian) is ice cream, ice er
is (Latin) is you go est
is (Swedish) is ice är
is (Hungarian) is also van (although usually omitted)
Island (Norwegian, Swedish and German)

Ísland (Icelandic)
Islande (French)
Islanda (Italian)
Islandia (Spanish)

island Iceland ö (Swedish)

øy (Norwegian)
Insel (German)
isola (Italian)
isla (Spanish)

it (Latin) it he/she/it goes id
[edit]

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 sotilasjuntta
juu (Finnish) you [juu] yeah sinä (singular), te (plural or polite)
[edit]

K

Non-English word Which resembles English But actually means For an equivalent of the English word use
kau (German) cow (phonetic false cognate) chew Kuh
Kaution (German) caution deposit, bail Vorsicht
kabinet (кабинет) (Russian) cabinet office
kamppi (Finnish) camp tripping up

Kamppi (district in Helsinki)

leiri
kanto (Finnish) canto treestump
kedr (Кедр) (Russian) cedar Siberian Pine
ken (Finnish) ken (Scottish dialect) who (archaic) tietää, tuntea
kid (Swedish) kid (baby goat, child) fawn
killa (Swedish)

kile (Norwegian)

kill, killer tickle, scratch döda, dödare (Swedish)

drepe, drapsmann (Norwegian)

killinki (Finnish) killing farthing, coin (cf. "shilling") tappo, tappaminen
Kind (German) kind child
kind (Swedish) kind cheek
king (Estonian) king shoe
Kinn (German) kin chin
kinn (Norwegian) kin cheek
kis (Hungarian) kiss small csķk
kissa (Finnish) kiss cat suudella (verb), suudelma (noun)
kissa (Swedish) kiss urinate kyssa
kit (Hungarian) kit whom csomag
koi (Finnish) coy /koi/ moth; dawn kaino
kontroll (Swedish and Norwegian)

kontrollieren (German)

control check, examine
korn (Swedish) corn barley
Kraft (German)

kraft (Swedish and Norwegian)

craft power, strength
kreatur (Swedish) creature cattle
Kritik (German) critic criticism, review Kritiker
kropp (Swedish and Norwegian) crop body, mathematical field
kut (Dutch) cut cunt (vulgar)
kult (Norwegian) cult (to be) cool sekt (kult also means cult in Norwegian)
kuula, koolaus (Finnish) cool [kuul], cooling kuula: bullet; (of granules) pellet, ball

koolaus: studwork (in construction)

känni (Finnish) canny /käni/ (the experience of) drunkenness kiero, taitava
[edit]

L

Non-English word Which resembles English But actually means For an equivalent of the English word use
lack (Swedish), lakka (Finnish), lakk (Norwegian) lack lacquer
lakki (Finnish) lack hat, cap (the clothing accessory) puute, -ttomuus/-ttömyys
lammas (Finnish) Lammas sheep
lappu (Finnish)

Lapp (numerous languages)

lap slip, tag, label, patch

("Lapp" or Finnish "lappalainen" is also a politically incorrect xenonym for the Sámi, suggesting they are bums in patched clothes.)

syli
Last (German)

last (Swedish, Norwegian and Dutch)
lasti (Finnish)

last load, burden letzer /-e /-es (German)

sist (Swedish and Norwegian)
viimeinen, viimeise- (Finnish)

leg (Swedish and Norwegian) leg ID, identification papers (short for "legitimation") ben
levy (Finnish) levee disk, disc (particularly, phonogram)
librería (Spanish)

libreria (Italian)

library bookstore biblioteca (Spanish) and (Italian)
lime (French) lime file (the tool)
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
List (German)

list (Swedish, Norwegian and Dutch)

list cunning, artfulness, ruse Liste (German), lista (Swedish), liste (Norwegian)
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) windstilte,
periode van rust
lump (Swedish language) lump discarded fabric, slang for mandatory military service klump
lujuria (Spanish)

lussuria (Italian)
luxure (French)

luxury lust lujo (Spanish)

lusso (Italian)

Lust (German)

lust (Swedish)

lust wish, intent
[edit]

M

Non-English word Which resembles English But actually means For an equivalent of the English word use
ma (מה) (Hebrew) ma (mother) what?
ma (Italian) ma (mother) but
maa (Finnish) ma (mother) earth, ground äiti
made (Finnish) made burbot teki, tehnyt (subject); tehtiin, tehty (object)
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
maine (Finnish) Maine reputation
male (Italian) male evil (n.), bad, wicked, evil (adj.) maschio (n.); maschile (adj.)
mama (Georgian) mother father
manner (Finnish) manner continent tapa (noun)
mansione (Italian) mansion task magione, casa signorile, palazzo
marca (Spanish) mark brand mancha, huella
nota mare (Italian) mare sea giumenta, cavalla
Marmelade (German) marmalade jam Orangenmarmelade
mayim (מים) (Hebrew) mime water
me (Finnish and Estonian) me /mii/ we minua, minut (Finnish)
me (麼) (Mandarin) me (phonetic false cognate: may) interrogative marker
me (Sumerian) me (phonetic false cognate: may) (divine) aura
mena (Swedish), meinen (German), mene (Norwegian) mean have an opinion betyda (Swedish), bedeuten (German), bety, mene (Norwegian)
meni (Finnish) many (phonetic false cognate) went monta
merci (French) mercy thank you
meri (Finnish and Estonian) merry sea
mi (מי) (Hebrew) me who?
mi (Hungarian) me what? én
míle Irish language, mėle Scottish Gaelic mille (Italian and French)

Mille (German (slang))
mil (Spanish)

million, mile thousand; also "mile" in French, in Scottish Gaelic and in Irish
mille (Finnish) mill to what, to which mylly
mis (Finnish) miss colloquial form of "where?" neiti (young woman); kaivata (wish to come back); mennä ohi (not hit)
miséricorde (French)

misericordia (Italian and Spanish)

misery mercy, forgiveness desdicha, aflicciķn, sufrimiento, pena; estrechez, pobreza (Spanish)

infelicitā, tormento, sofferenza, pena; indigenza, povertā (Italian

Mist (German) mist manure, droppings Nebel
miting (Serbian) meeting political demonstration
Mode (German)

mode (Swedish, Dutch)
moda (Spanish and Italian)

mode fashion, haute couture (Art und) Weise, Modus (German)
molestar (Spanish) molest bother, disturb acosar sexualmente
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)

morbido (Italian) morbid soft, delicate morboso, malsano
moroso (Spanish)

moroso (Italian)

morose in arrears; (noun, fam., N. Italy) boyfriend, fiancé cupo, imbronciato, scontroso (Italian)

hosco, taciturno, intratable (Spanish)

Mörder (German) murder murderer Mord
mut (Finnish) mutt colloquial for "me" (telic) mopsi (polite); rakki, piski (rude)
Mut (German) mutt courage
[edit]

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
nai (Finnish) nay when telic: marry, when atelic: have sex (slang) ei
nain + partitive object (Finnish)

nain + accusative object (Finnish)

nine /nain/ I fuck

I marry

yhdeksän
nauru (Finnish) Nauru laughter
nett (German) net nice, friendly, jolly Netz
no (Finnish) no /nou/ uh, well ei
noleggio (Italian) knowledge hire, rental conoscenza
Not (German) not need (noun) nicht
Novelle (German)

novell (Swedish)
novelle (Norwegian)
novella (Italian)
novela (Spanish)
novelli (Finnish)
nouvelle (French)

novel short story, novella roman (Swedish and Norwegian)

romaani (Finnish)

[edit]

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
on (French) on nondescript subject (cf. passive "one") sur
once (Spanish) once eleven una vez
PrivoxyWindowOpen(Finnish) open colloquial form of "of the teacher" auki (adverb), avoin (adjective), avata (verb)
or (French) or gold, now (introducing second proposition of a syllogism) ou
ostrica (Italian) ostrich oyster struzzo
ours (French) ours a bear
[edit]

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)
pace (Italian) pace peace passo, andatura
pain (French) pain bread
paini (Finnish) pain pressure; wrestling; weight kipu
pan (Spanish, Japanese) pan bread sartén (kitchen cookware)
pan (Polish) pan sir, mister
papa (Spanish) Papa (slang) (father) potato (in American and Spanish from southern Spain) Papá (Spanish)
parente (Italian)

pariente (Spanish)

parent relative, member of kin genitore (Italian)

padre (Spanish)

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
pavimento (Italian) pavement floor
pennen (German) pen slang for "to sleep"
peperoni (Italian) pepperoni (actually a case of pseudo-italianism rather than a false friend) bell peppers / sweet peppers salamino
perse (Finnish) per se (Latinism) arse, ass sinänsä
pétulant (French) petulant playful
phon (Italian) phone hair dryer telefono
pie (Spanish) pie foot empanada
pii (Finnish) π silicon the element, also archaic "tooth"
pijl (Dutch) pile arrow
pilli (Finnish) pill drinking straw pilleri
pimppi (Finnish) pimp childish world for "female genitalia" parittaja, sutenööri
pingouin (French) penguin auk
poke (Finnish) poke /pouk/ slang for "bouncer, doorman"

also, a contraction of "pornografia"

tökätä, tökkiä
polizia (Italian)

policía (Spanish)

policy police polizza (Italian)

pķliza, política (Spanish)

pom (Romanian) Pommie, Pom Fruit bearing tree
pomm (Estonian)

pommi (Finnish)

Pommie, Pom bomb
pomme (French) Pommie, Pom (see Alternate words for British) apple
pregnant (Romanian, Swedish)

prägnant (German)

pregnant short but informative; remarkable, prominent
preservativo (Spanish and Italian)

prezervativ (Romanian)
Präservativ (German)
prezerwatywa (Polish)
préservatif (French) (1)

preservative condom; also "preservative" in Spanish conservante (Spanish and Italian)
pretendere (Italian)

pretender (Spanish)

pretend aspire to, expect; (to) court (Spanish) / demand, require, claim (Italian) fingir, aparentar (Spanish)

fingere di essere, far finta di (Italian)

prick (Swedish)

prikk (Norwegian)

prick dot, period
propaganda (Spanish)
 propaganda advertising
prospecto (Spanish)

prospetto (Italian)
prospect (Romanian)
Prospekt (German)

prospect brochure, leaflet, prospectus posibilidad, perspectiva (Spanish)
prospekt (Swedish and Norwegian) prospect prospectus, document or brochure detailing an offer (usually from a travel agent)
prospekt (проспект) (Russian) prospect avenue
proces (Romanian)

proces (Polish)
process (Swedish)
prosess (Norwegian)
Prozess (German)

process trial (at court)/(in Swedish, Norwegian and German mainly used to denote process but also means trial)
prune (French) prune plum
punkki (Finnish) punk acarus (the tick) roisto "thug", pikkurikollinen "minor offender"
pus (Finnish) pus onomatopoeia for a kiss visva
pussi (Finnish) pussy bag for the genitals: emätin (biological), vittu (derogatory); for pussy cats: (kissi)mirri
puu (Finnish) poo (phonetic false cognate) tree, wood kakka (childish), paska (rude)
[edit]

Q

Non-English word Which resembles English But actually means For an equivalent of the English word use
queue (French) queue tail
[edit]

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
rapa (Finnish) rape dirt raiskata
rapa (