48 falsos cognatos em inglês que vão te enganar
Falsos cognatos são palavras em inglês que se parecem com palavras de outro idioma na escrita ou pronúncia, mas têm um significado completamente diferente. Eles são uma das fontes mais comuns — e constrangedoras — de erros para estudantes avançados. Explore os 48 abaixo, filtre por idioma ou pesquise uma palavra específica.
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."
Perguntas frequentes
O que é um falso cognato em inglês?
Um falso cognato é uma palavra em inglês que se parece com uma palavra de outro idioma, mas tem um significado diferente. Por exemplo, "embarrassed" parece com "embaraçada" mas significa envergonhado. Essas armadilhas pegam até estudantes avançados desprevenidos.
Por que os falsos cognatos são tão perigosos para quem aprende idiomas?
Porque geram erros confiantes. Quando você vê uma palavra parecida com algo que já conhece, seu cérebro assume que o significado é o mesmo e você nunca verifica. É exatamente nesse momento que os erros acontecem, às vezes em contextos formais ou constrangedores.
Como evito cometer erros com falsos cognatos?
A estratégia mais eficaz é a exposição massiva ao inglês real. Quando você ouve ou lê uma palavra dezenas de vezes em contextos autênticos — filmes, podcasts, falantes nativos — o significado correto substitui permanentemente o falso. A prática de listening com input compreensível é especialmente poderosa.
Falsos cognatos e falsos amigos são a mesma coisa?
Os termos se sobrepõem mas são ligeiramente diferentes. Falsos cognatos tecnicamente se refere a palavras que parecem relacionadas etimologicamente mas não são. Falsos amigos é o termo mais amplo e cotidiano para qualquer par de palavras em dois idiomas que se parecem mas significam coisas diferentes. No aprendizado de idiomas são usados de forma intercambiável.
Qual idioma tem mais falsos cognatos com o inglês?
O francês e o espanhol têm o maior número de falsos cognatos com o inglês, já que os três idiomas compartilham um enorme vocabulário latino. O alemão e o italiano também têm muitos. O russo e o japonês têm menos, mas exatamente por isso surpreendem mais quando aparecem.
A forma mais rápida de eliminar erros com falsos cognatos é ouvir as palavras usadas corretamente em conversas autênticas, não memorizar listas.
Pratique com vídeos reais →