False Friends in Spanish

Watch out for false friends in Spanish!

When you learn a new language, you have to watch out for false friends: words that look or sound very similar to words in your own language, so you assume they mean the same thing when they don’t.

Teaching Spanish to English speakers, I’ve noticed that these words cause a lot of confusion, especially for beginners.

What exactly is a false friend?

We use the term false friend for words that are spelled or pronounced similarly in two languages but have different meanings.

It’s easy to fall into the trap and end up saying something completely different from what you meant. Plenty of Spanish words share both form and meaning with English (hospital, general, real…), but it’s just as important to learn the false friends, so you can avoid confusion, awkward moments and misunderstandings.

Some common examples

Librería

Example: Yesterday I went to the library to study ≠ Ayer fui a la librería para estudiar.

In Spanish, librería means bookshop. If you mean library, the word you need is biblioteca.

✅ Correct sentence: Ayer fui a la biblioteca para estudiar.

Emocionado/a

Example: I cry a lot, I’m very emotional ≠ Lloro mucho, soy muy emocionado.

In Spanish, emocionado means excited or moved. If you want to say that someone is emotional by nature, use sensible.

✅ Correct sentence: Lloro mucho, soy muy sensible.

Constipado/a

Example: My stomach hurts, I’m constipated ≠ Me duele la tripa, estoy constipado.

In Spanish, constipado does not mean constipated, and this one can lead to some real misunderstandings! Estar constipado means to have a cold. If you’re constipated, the word you need is estreñido.

✅ Correct sentence: Me duele la tripa, estoy estreñido.

Embarazada

Example: I fell over in front of everyone, I was so embarrassed ≠ Me caí delante de todo el mundo, estaba muy embarazada.

This is probably the most famous false friend of all! Embarazada means pregnant, not embarrassed, so mixing them up can leave people very confused. The word you’re looking for is avergonzada.

✅ Correct sentence: Me caí delante de todo el mundo, estaba muy avergonzada.

Letra

Example: I’ve received a letter from England ≠ Me ha llegado una letra de Inglaterra.

In Spanish, letra means a letter of the alphabet (A, B, C…) or the lyrics of a song. For a letter that comes in the post, the word is carta.

✅ Correct sentence: Me ha llegado una carta de Inglaterra.

Soportar

Example: We’re going to watch a match to support our team ≠ Vamos a ver un partido para soportar a nuestro equipo.

In Spanish, soportar doesn’t mean to support: it means to put up with or to bear. This one trips up a lot of English speakers. To support a team, you use apoyar.

✅ Correct sentence: Vamos a ver un partido para apoyar a nuestro equipo.

More false friends to watch out for

Here are some more Spanish–English false friends:

There are plenty more false friends in Spanish, so practise these with your real friends and keep an eye out for new ones! And if you want to keep learning, have a look at our article on Spanish slang and colloquial expressions. 😉