Some English words slip into Spanish looking like helpful little friends – until they trip you up. Embarazada doesn’t mean embarrassed, and actualmente doesn’t mean actually. These are false friends, and they love to mess with your confidence just when you think you’re getting the hang of things. But here’s the good news: once you know the tricksters, they’re easy to avoid.
This list rounds up around 80 of the most common English words that have sneaky Spanish lookalikes – plus the cognates that genuinely mean what you’d expect. Each entry gives you a clear meaning and a natural example sentence, so you see exactly how the word behaves in real Spanish, not some dusty textbook line.
Hola, language detectives — this list is packed with tricky look-alikes, sneaky meanings, and a few easy wins, so scroll to the bottom to grab the free printable English words in Spanish false friends vocabulary list PDF and the free downloadable printable English words in Spanish false friends flashcards.
Want more than one list? Browse our Spanish section for more Yak Yacker study pages, printable lists, and quiz-friendly review material.
Quick Quiz
Think you can spot the false friends before they strike? Give the quiz a go and see which ones still need a little memory boost.
Keep building your Spanish
Choose a practical next step when you are ready.
Browse the Full List
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| El smartphone | el esˈmaɾt.fon | smartphone |
| El software | el ˈsof.wer | software |
| El spoiler / espóiler | el ˈspoj.leɾ / esˈpoj.leɾ | spoiler |
| El streaming | el esˈtɾi.miŋ | streaming |
| El target | el ˈtaɾ.ɣet | target audience |
| El tenis | el ˈte.nis | tennis |
| El thriller | el ˈθɾi.leɾ / ˈtɾi.leɾ | thriller |
| El top | el ˈtop | top (clothing) |
| El tráiler | el ˈtɾaj.leɾ | trailer (movie preview) |
| El wifi | el ˈwi.fi | wifi |
| embarazada | pregnant | |
| embarazada | pregnant | |
| éxito | success | |
| éxito | success | |
| fábrica | factory | |
| librería | bookstore | |
| librería | bookstore | |
| realizar | to carry out; to do | |
| ropa | clothes | |
| ropa | clothes | |
| salir | to go out | |
| sensible | sensitive | |
| sensible | sensitive | |
| sopa | soup | |
| sopa | soup |
Free English Words in Spanish False Friends Vocabulary List and Flashcards
You can download the English words in Spanish false friends vocabulary list with the purple vocab-list button, and the English words in Spanish false friends flashcards with the teal flashcards button. Both are 100% free with no signup.
