48 falsos amigos en inglés que te confundirán
Los falsos amigos son palabras en inglés que se parecen en escritura o pronunciación a palabras de otro idioma, pero tienen un significado completamente diferente. Son una de las fuentes más comunes — y embarazosas — de errores para estudiantes avanzados. Explora los 48 aquí abajo, filtra por idioma o busca una palabra concreta.
48 items · 6 topics
"embarrassed"
feeling ashamed or self-conscious (NOT pregnant)
"She was embarrassed when she spilled coffee on her shirt."
"actually"
in fact / in reality (NOT currently)
"I actually enjoyed the meeting more than I expected."
"sensible"
having good judgement (NOT sensitive)
"Wear sensible shoes for the hike."
"exit"
a way out (NOT success / result)
"Please use the emergency exit at the back of the building."
"college"
a higher-education institution (NOT high school)
"She starts college in September to study engineering."
"fabric"
cloth / textile (NOT factory)
"The fabric of this shirt is 100% cotton."
"library"
a place to borrow books (NOT bookshop)
"I borrowed three novels from the library last week."
"pretend"
to act as if something is true (NOT intend/try)
"The children pretended to be pirates."
"eventually"
in the end / after a long time (NOT possibly)
"He eventually found his lost keys under the sofa."
"actually"
in fact (NOT currently / at the moment)
"That film is actually based on a true story."
"sympathetic"
showing understanding for someone's feelings (NOT nice/pleasant)
"She was very sympathetic when I told her about the accident."
"chat"
informal conversation (NOT cat)
"We had a nice chat over coffee this morning."
"demand"
to ask forcefully (NOT to ask politely)
"The customer demanded a full refund."
"ignore"
to deliberately pay no attention to (NOT not know)
"He ignored all my messages for two days."
"assistance"
help / support (NOT attendance)
"Do you need any assistance with your luggage?"
"experience"
practical knowledge / an event (NOT experiment)
"She has ten years of experience in marketing."
"gift"
a present (NOT poison)
"She gave him a gift for his birthday."
"also"
in addition / too (NOT thus / therefore)
"I'd like a coffee and also a slice of cake, please."
"bald"
having no hair (NOT soon)
"He went completely bald by the age of thirty."
"kind"
generous / gentle in nature (NOT child)
"It was very kind of you to help me carry the bags."
"after"
later in time / following (NOT on / upon)
"Let's meet after the presentation."
"most"
greatest in amount (NOT must)
"Most students passed the exam on the first try."
"blank"
empty / without content (NOT shiny/gleaming)
"He stared at the blank page for twenty minutes."
"rat"
a rodent (NOT advice)
"They found a rat in the basement."
"annoyed"
slightly angry / irritated (NOT bored)
"I was really annoyed when the flight was delayed again."
"argument"
a disagreement / dispute (NOT topic / subject)
"They had a heated argument about money."
"morbid"
having an unusual interest in death (NOT sick/ill)
"He has a rather morbid sense of humour."
"novel"
a long fictional book (NOT new)
"She spent the summer reading a novel by Tolstoy."
"casino"
a gambling establishment (NOT chaos/mess)
"They spent the evening at the casino."
"camera"
a device for taking photographs (NOT room)
"I forgot to bring my camera to the wedding."
"genial"
friendly and cheerful (NOT brilliant/genius)
"The host was genial and made everyone feel welcome."
"firm"
solid / a business company (NOT signature)
"He works for a law firm in the city centre."
"magazine"
a periodical publication (NOT store/shop)
"I read about it in a travel magazine."
"accurate"
correct and precise (NOT accurate — but NOT accountant)
"The weather forecast was surprisingly accurate."
"prospect"
a possibility of future success (NOT invoice)
"The job prospect looks very promising."
"cabinet"
a piece of furniture / government body (NOT office room)
"The documents are stored in the filing cabinet."
"realist"
a person who accepts facts (NOT artist working in realism only)
"She is a realist — she knows the project will take a year."
"data"
facts and statistics (NOT given / gift)
"We need more data before we can draw conclusions."
"intelligent"
having great mental capacity (NOT secret service agent)
"She is one of the most intelligent students in the class."
"replica"
an exact copy (NOT reply)
"The museum displays a replica of the ancient vase."
"chef"
a professional cook (NOT chief / head in general)
"The chef prepared a five-course tasting menu."
"resume"
to continue after a pause (also: a CV in American English)
"Classes resume on Monday after the holiday break."
"sympathy"
feeling of pity or sorrow for another (NOT empathy)
"She sent a sympathy card after hearing about his loss."
"intoxicated"
drunk / under the influence (NOT excited/enthusiastic)
"The driver was found to be intoxicated at the wheel."
"police"
law enforcement organisation (NOT policy / politics)
"Call the police if you see anything suspicious."
"principal"
head of a school / main (NOT principle — a rule or belief)
"The principal called a meeting with all teachers."
"attend"
to be present at (NOT to take care of / pay attention to)
"All students must attend the orientation session."
"invest"
to put money into something for profit (NOT to invent)
"She decided to invest her savings in index funds."
Preguntas frecuentes
¿Qué es un falso amigo en inglés?
Un falso amigo es una palabra en inglés que se parece a una palabra de otro idioma pero tiene un significado distinto. Por ejemplo, "embarrassed" se parece al español "embarazada" pero significa avergonzado. Estas trampas sorprenden incluso a estudiantes avanzados.
¿Por qué son tan peligrosos los falsos amigos para los estudiantes de idiomas?
Porque generan errores con confianza. Cuando ves una palabra parecida a algo que ya conoces, tu cerebro asume que el significado es el mismo y nunca lo verificas. Ese es exactamente el momento en que se cuelan los errores, a veces en contextos formales o embarazosos.
¿Cómo evito cometer errores con falsos amigos?
La estrategia más eficaz es la exposición masiva al inglés real. Cuando escuchas o lees una palabra decenas de veces en contextos auténticos — películas, podcasts, hablantes nativos — el significado correcto reemplaza permanentemente el falso. La práctica de listening con input comprensible es especialmente poderosa.
¿Son iguales los falsos amigos y los falsos cognados?
Los términos se solapan pero son ligeramente distintos. Los falsos cognados técnicamente se refieren a palabras que parecen relacionadas etimológicamente pero no lo son. Los falsos amigos es el término más amplio y cotidiano para cualquier par de palabras en dos idiomas que se parecen pero significan cosas distintas. En el aprendizaje de idiomas se usan indistintamente.
¿Qué idioma tiene más falsos amigos con el inglés?
El francés y el español tienen el mayor número de falsos amigos con el inglés, ya que los tres idiomas comparten un vocabulario latino enorme. El alemán y el italiano también aportan muchos. El ruso y el japonés tienen menos, pero precisamente por eso sorprenden más cuando aparecen.
La forma más rápida de eliminar errores con falsos amigos es escuchar las palabras usadas correctamente en conversaciones auténticas, no memorizar listas.
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