False friends: English and French

30 English words that look like French words but mean something else — the traps French speakers fall into most often.

English and French share a huge amount of vocabulary. After the Norman Conquest of 1066, French was the language of the English court and law for centuries, and a great many French words entered English. Most of them still mean the same thing — table, justice, question — which is exactly why the exceptions are dangerous: a word that looks French feels safe, so nobody checks it.

Each word below has its real meaning in French, the French word it gets confused with, and how to say that word in English.

Test yourself ↓

Words that don't mean what they seem

actually A2

Means: en fait, à vrai dire
Not: actuellement → currently, at the moment

Actually means "in fact" or "really", not «actuellement» (which is "currently" or "at the moment" in English).

Actually, I live in Lyon, not Paris.

eventually A2

Means: finalement, à la fin
Not: éventuellement → possibly, maybe

Eventually means "in the end, after some time", not «éventuellement» (which is "possibly" or "maybe" in English).

We got lost, but eventually we found the hotel.

library A1

Means: bibliothèque
Not: librairie → bookshop, bookstore

A library is a place where you borrow books, not a «librairie» (which is a "bookshop" or "bookstore" in English).

I borrowed three books from the library.

sensible B1

Means: raisonnable, sensé
Not: sensible → sensitive

Sensible means "reasonable, showing good judgment", not «sensible» (which is "sensitive" in English).

Wearing a coat today is a sensible idea.

demand B1

Means: exiger
Not: demander → to ask

To demand means to ask for something very firmly, much stronger than «demander» (which is simply "to ask" in English).

The workers are demanding higher pay.

attend B1

Means: assister à, être présent à
Not: attendre → to wait for

To attend means to be present at an event, not «attendre» (which is "to wait for" in English).

Over fifty people attended the meeting.

location B1

Means: emplacement, endroit
Not: location → rental, hire

A location is a place or position, not a «location» (which is a "rental" in English).

The hotel has a great location near the beach.

lecture B1

Means: cours magistral, conférence
Not: lecture → reading

A lecture is a talk given to teach an audience, not «lecture» (which is "reading" in English).

The professor gave a lecture on climate change.

pain B1

Means: douleur
Not: pain → bread

Pain means physical suffering («douleur»), not «pain» (which is "bread" in English).

I have a pain in my back.

sympathetic B2

Means: compatissant, compréhensif
Not: sympathique → nice, friendly

Sympathetic means understanding and caring about someone's problems, not «sympathique» (which is "nice" or "friendly" in English).

She was very sympathetic when I lost my job.

pretend A2

Means: faire semblant
Not: prétendre → to claim

To pretend means to act as if something is true, not «prétendre» (which is "to claim" in English).

He pretended to be asleep.

deceive B2

Means: tromper
Not: décevoir → to disappoint

To deceive means to trick someone, not «décevoir» (which is "to disappoint" in English).

Don't let his smile deceive you.

actual B1

Means: réel, véritable
Not: actuel → current

Actual means "real" or "true", not «actuel» (which is "current" or "present" in English).

The actual price is higher than the one online.

raisin B2

Means: raisin sec
Not: raisin → grape

A raisin is a dried grape («raisin sec»), not a fresh «raisin» (which is a "grape" in English).

I put raisins in my porridge.

deception C1

Means: tromperie
Not: déception → disappointment

Deception means tricking someone, not «déception» (which is "disappointment" in English).

The deception lasted for years before anyone noticed.

large A1

Means: grand (en taille)
Not: large → wide

Large means "big", not «large» (which is "wide" in English).

She lives in a large house.

coin A1

Means: pièce de monnaie
Not: coin → corner

A coin is a piece of metal money, not a «coin» (which is a "corner" in English).

I found a coin on the street.

preservative B2

Means: conservateur
Not: préservatif → condom

A preservative is a substance that keeps food fresh, not a «préservatif» (which is a "condom" in English).

This juice contains no preservatives.

college A1

Means: université, études supérieures
Not: collège → middle school

College means a place of higher education, not a «collège» (which is a "middle school" in English).

She went to college in Boston.

injure A2

Means: blesser
Not: injurier → to insult

To injure means to hurt someone physically, not «injurier» (which is "to insult" in English).

He injured his knee playing football.

sale A2

Means: vente, soldes
Not: sale → dirty

A sale is the act of selling or a time of lower prices, not «sale» (which is "dirty" in English).

The shoes are on sale this week.

resume B2

Means: reprendre
Not: résumé → summary

To resume means "to start again after a pause", not «résumé» (which is a "summary" in English; in the US a résumé is a CV).

The match will resume after the rain.

hazard B1

Means: danger, risque
Not: hasard → chance, coincidence

A hazard is a danger or a risk, not «hasard» (which is "chance" or "coincidence" in English).

Wet floors are a hazard for older people.

habit A2

Means: habitude
Not: habit → outfit, clothes

A habit is something you do regularly («habitude»), not an «habit» (which is "clothes" or an "outfit" in English).

Biting your nails is a bad habit.

gentle A2

Means: doux, délicat
Not: gentil → kind, nice

Gentle means soft and careful, not «gentil» (which is "kind" or "nice" in English).

She has a gentle voice.

stage A2

Means: scène ; étape
Not: stage → internship

A stage is the raised area where people perform, or a step in a process, not a «stage» (which is an "internship" in English).

The singer walked onto the stage.

pull A2

Means: tirer
Not: pull → sweater

To pull means «tirer», not a «pull» (which is a "sweater" or "jumper" in English).

Pull the door, don't push it.

Words that only sometimes match

These share one meaning with the look-alike, but usually mean something else — see the example.

assist B1 sometimes

Means: aider
Not: assister → to attend

To assist means "to help", like «assister quelqu'un»; it never means «assister à» an event (which is "to attend" in English).

Can you assist me with this form?

parent A1 sometimes

Means: père ou mère
Not: parent → relative

A parent is only a mother or a father; a «parent» in the wider sense (cousin, uncle) is a "relative" in English.

At the wedding I met my relatives, not just my parents.

ignore A2 sometimes

Means: ne pas prêter attention à
Not: ignorer → not to know

To ignore means to pay no attention to someone or something, like «ignorer quelqu'un»; but «ignorer un fait» means "not to know" in English.

He ignored me and kept walking.

Test yourself: which translation is right?

10 words from this page. One of the options is the trap — the look-alike word.

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Questions

What are false friends?

False friends (in French «faux amis») are words in two languages that look or sound alike but have different meanings, like English «library» (bibliothèque) and French «librairie» (a bookshop).

Why do English and French have so many false friends?

A large part of English vocabulary came from French — first through the Normans after 1066, later through culture and trade — and from Latin. The spelling stayed close, but the meanings drifted apart in each language over the centuries.

How do I stop mixing them up?

Learn each word with an example sentence rather than as a one-word translation, and check familiar-looking words too. Practising the tricky ones a few days apart helps the right meaning stick.

Levels (A1–C2) and translations come from the WordStudy dictionary. Spotted a mistake? Write to words.study.project@gmail.com.