Spanish/Common False Cognates

The phenomenon known as “false friends” happens between two languages, like Spanish and English, when there are two words sounding very similar because they come from the same root but their meaning is completely different. There are many “false friends” involving English and Spanish. Here you have some examples (but you can add more, so as to make up a full list):

Spanish	False friend (en)	Spanish	False friend (en)
Abismal Enormous Enormous	Abysmal Pésimo Pésimo	Actual Current Current	Actual Real or Verdadero Real or Verdadero
Alcoba Bedroom Bedroom	Alcove Nicho Nicho	Asistir To attend To attend	To assist Atender or Ayudar Atender or Ayudar
Atender To assist To assist	To attend Asistir Asistir	Balón Ball Ball	Balloon Globo Globo
Bizarro Brave Brave	Bizarre Extraño Extraño	Blanco White White	Blank Vacío Vacío
Blando Soft or Gentle Soft or Gentle	Bland Insípido Insípido	Boda Wedding Wedding	Body Cuerpo Cuerpo
Campo Field or Countryside Field or Countryside	Camp Campamento Campamento	Cara Face Face	Car Coche or Carro Coche or Carro
Carpeta Folder Folder	Carpet Alfombra Alfombra	Chillar To shriek To shriek	To chill Enfriar Enfriar
Complexión Physical build Physical build	Skin complexion Tez or Cutis Tez or Cutis	Comprensivo Understanding or Tolerant Understanding or Tolerant	Comprehensive Exhaustivo or Completo Exhaustivo or Completo
Constipado Having a cold Having a cold	Constipated Estreñido Estreñido	Construir To build To build	To construe Interpretar Interpretar
Costumbre Habit Habit	Costume Traje Traje	Disgusto Displeasure or Misfortune Displeasure or Misfortune	Disgust Asco or Repugnancia Asco or Repugnancia
Embarazada Pregnant Pregnant	Embarrassed Avergonzada Avergonzada	Éxito Success Success	Exit Salida Salida
Fábrica Factory Factory	Fabric Tejido Tejido	Globo Balloon Balloon	Glove Guante Guante
Inhabitable Uninhabitable Uninhabitable	Inhabitable Habitable Habitable	Injuria Insult Insult	Injury Lesión Lesión
Librería Bookshop Bookshop	Library Biblioteca Biblioteca	Mano Hand Hand	Man Hombre Hombre
Molestar To annoy To annoy	To molest Agredir Agredir	Moroso Debtor Debtor	Morose Malhumorado Malhumorado
Nombre Name Name	Number Número Número	Pariente Relative Relative	Parents Padres Padres
Periódico Newspaper Newspaper	Periodical Revista Revista	Preservativo Condom Condom	Preservative Conservante Conservante
Profesor (at any level) Teacher Teacher	Professor Catedrático (at University) Catedrático (at University)	Recipiente Container Container	Recipient Destinatario Destinatario
Recordar To remember or To remind To remember or To remind	To record Anotar (writing), or Grabar (on tape). Anotar (writing), or Grabar (on tape).	Refrán Saying Saying	Refrain Estribillo Estribillo
Regalo Gift Gift	Regal Majestuoso Majestuoso	Remover Stir Stir	Remove Eliminar Eliminar
Retirado Withdrawn Withdrawn	Retired Jubilado Jubilado	Ropa Clothing Clothing	Rope Cuerda Cuerda
Resumir To summarise To summarise	To resume Reanudar Reanudar	Sanidad Health Health	Sanity Cordura Cordura
Sensible Sensitive Sensitive	Sensible Sensato Sensato	Silla Chair Chair	Sill Alféizar Alféizar
Sopa Soup Soup	Soap Jabón Jabón	Suave Soft or Smooth Soft or Smooth	Suave Afable Afable
Vicioso Addict or depraved Addict or depraved	Vicious Salvaje Salvaje	Vacunar To vaccinate To vaccinate	To vacuum Aspirar Aspirar