False friends in English and how to avoid mistakes

30 January 2026

English-learners

Oleksandra Kulish

Book expert

If you sometimes perceive cabinet as “кабінет”, fabric as “фабрика”, or biscuit as a soft and fluffy sponge cake, then you have fallen into the trap of so-called false friends of the translator. We will help you avoid such mistakes in the future!

What are “false friends of the translator”?

The term “false friends of the translator” (English: false friends) was first introduced in 1928 by French lexicographers Koessler and Derocquigny. It refers to words in different languages that look or sound similar but have different meanings. Obviously, such words significantly complicate the process of learning a foreign language.

To avoid misunderstandings and awkward situations in communication, it is worth becoming familiar with the most common false friends of the translator. Of course, this is only a small part of the list — there are enough of these “friends” to fill an entire dictionary.

The most common false friends of the translator in English

For convenience, false friends of the translator are collected in the table below, which will be useful during learning. The first column contains the English word that often misleads learners (the false friend), the second column shows its correct translation, the third column presents the common incorrect translation that often comes to mind for Russian speakers, and the fourth column provides the English translation of that incorrect meaning.

English word	Correct meaning	Common incorrect meaning	Translation of the incorrect meaning into English
accurate	precise, exact	neat	careful, tidy, neat
air-port	porthole	airport	airport
attraction	appeal, attraction (to a person)	amusement ride	amusement ride
babushka	headscarf tied under the chin	grandmother	grandmother
biscuit	cookie	sponge cake	sponge cake
cereal	grain product	TV series	TV series
dramatic	striking, impressive	melodramatic	melodramatic
general	main, overall	general (military)	military general
kit	set, pack	whale	whale
list	list	letter	sheet
lunatic	crazy person	sleepwalker	sleep-walker
magazine	magazine	shop	shop
notorious	infamous	notary	notary
officiant	ceremony host	waiter	waiter
pigeon	pigeon	dandy	dandy
plaster	putty	bandage	band-aid
scenery	landscape, stage set	script	script
tort	civil wrong	cake	cake
wallet	wallet	jack (playing card)	jack
fabric	fabric, texture	factory	factory, plant
insult	offense	stroke	stroke
intelligent	smart	cultured	cultured
mark	mark, sign	postage stamp	stamp
marmalade	jam	fruit jelly candy	fruit jelly
palate	roof of the mouth	ward	ward
pathetic	pitiful	overly emotional	bombastic
prospect	outlook, perspective	avenue	avenue
receipt	receipt	recipe	recipe
smoking	smoking	tuxedo	tuxedo
species	biological species	spices	spices
translation	written translation	broadcast	broadcast
transparent	transparent	banner	banner
utilize	use	recycle	recycle
velvet	velvet	corduroy	corduroy

Common phrases with false friends of the translator

When using automatic translation tools, it is easy to get into awkward situations. It is very unpleasant when you say one thing and your interlocutor understands something completely different. Here are examples of misleading English phrases to help you avoid trouble:

“All you can do is speculate” — does not mean dubious financial manipulation. The correct meaning is: “All you can do is make assumptions.”
“I know you’re sympathetic” — not about your appearance or attractiveness. Correct meaning: “I know you feel sympathy for me.”
“I like your complexion” — not about muscle training. Correct meaning: “I like your skin tone.”
“She wants a repetition of our relationship” — not a rehearsal. Correct meaning: “She wants to renew or repeat our relationship.”

Automatic translation does not always convey the exact meaning of such phrases. However, if you have carefully studied this topic, you will be able to avoid misunderstandings and correctly recognize the true meaning of words.

Words with multiple meanings

Linguistic traps also exist in Ukrainian. Even a foreigner would understand that the phrase “I opened the lock” hardly means that after work on Friday you organized an archaeological expedition and discovered an ancient fortress.

The same applies to English: context makes things clear, especially if you are already at an advanced level — and if you are reading our articles, all credit to you.

To avoid confusion, pay attention to the following words:

Run — over 600 meanings: to run, to operate software, to manage, mileage, and many more.
Set — about 430 meanings: set, settings, to establish, to assign.
Go — over 350 meanings: to go, to leave, to travel, to depart, and more.
Take — to take, to accept, to capture, to subtract, to enchant.

There are many such words, and some of them may confuse you. However, if you stay attentive, problems will not arise.

How to avoid confusion in the future

Even experienced translators sometimes make mistakes, but they can be minimized:

Double-check yourself. Even familiar words and expressions can have unexpected meanings.
Trust your language intuition. It usually signals when a translation looks suspicious. English has many words with “double meanings,” so attentiveness is never excessive.
Remain a learner. Constantly expand your vocabulary and never stop learning — including by reading useful language materials.

We sincerely hope that from now on false friends of the translator will confuse you much less.