Which term is used for words that look similar but carry different meanings across languages?

Which term is used for words that look similar but carry different meanings across languages?

• A. False cognates
• B. Cognates
• C. Homonyms
• D. Polysemes

Answer: (A)

False cognates are words that look alike in two languages but carry different meanings. They can trip learners up because the surface form suggests a relationship, yet the meanings don’t line up. For example, English and Spanish both have a word that looks like “actual,” but in Spanish it means current, not real. Another well-known pair is English “embarrassed” and Spanish “embarazada,” which look similar but mean different things entirely. A classic cross-language mix-up is German “Gift,” which means poison, not a gift as in English. This idea is distinct from cognates, which share both form and meaning, and from homonyms or polysemes, which involve multiple meanings within one language.

False cognates are words that look alike in two languages but carry different meanings. They can trip learners up because the surface form suggests a relationship, yet the meanings don’t line up. For example, English and Spanish both have a word that looks like “actual,” but in Spanish it means current, not real. Another well-known pair is English “embarrassed” and Spanish “embarazada,” which look similar but mean different things entirely. A classic cross-language mix-up is German “Gift,” which means poison, not a gift as in English.

This idea is distinct from cognates, which share both form and meaning, and from homonyms or polysemes, which involve multiple meanings within one language.