False friends: English and Ukrainian

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

English and Ukrainian share many words that both borrowed from Latin, Greek and French, often through Polish, German or Russian. Most of them match in meaning: student, football, problem. That is exactly why the exceptions are dangerous — a word that looks Ukrainian feels safe, so nobody checks it.

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

Test yourself ↓

Words that don't mean what they seem

magazine A1

Means: журнал
Not: магазин → shop, store

Magazine means a periodical with pictures and articles (журнал), not «магазин» (which is a shop or store in English).

I bought a magazine at the airport.

accurate B1

Means: точний
Not: акуратний → neat, tidy

Accurate means exact, with no mistakes (точний), not «акуратний» (which is neat or tidy in English).

The map is very accurate.

actual B1

Means: справжній, фактичний
Not: актуальний → relevant, up to date

Actual means real or true (справжній, фактичний), not «актуальний» (which is relevant or up to date in English).

What was the actual price?

pretend A2

Means: вдавати
Not: претендувати → to claim, to aspire to

Pretend means to act as if something is true (вдавати, прикидатися), not «претендувати» (which is to claim or to aspire to in English).

He pretended not to see me.

intelligent A2

Means: розумний
Not: інтелігентний → well-mannered, cultured

Intelligent means clever, quick to understand (розумний), not «інтелігентний» (which is cultured or well-mannered in English).

She is a very intelligent student.

sympathetic B2

Means: співчутливий
Not: симпатичний → nice, good-looking

Sympathetic means understanding someone's feelings (співчутливий), not «симпатичний» (which is nice or good-looking in English).

He was very sympathetic when I lost my job.

fabric B2

Means: тканина
Not: фабрика → factory

Fabric means cloth (тканина), not «фабрика» (which is a factory in English).

This fabric is soft and light.

novel B1

Means: роман
Not: новела → short story

Novel means a long book-length story (роман), not «новела» (which is a short story in English).

I am reading a long novel.

decade B1

Means: десятиліття
Not: декада → ten days

Decade means ten years (десятиліття), not «декада» (which is a period of ten days).

Prices have risen over the last decade.

brat B1

Means: розбещена дитина
Not: брат → brother

Brat means a badly behaved child (розбещена дитина), not «брат» (which is brother in English).

Stop acting like a brat!

grip B1

Means: міцний хват
Not: грип → flu

Grip means a firm hold (міцний хват), not «грип» (which is flu in English).

Hold the rope with a firm grip.

insult B1

Means: образа, ображати
Not: інсульт → stroke

Insult means a rude remark that hurts (образа), not «інсульт» (which is a stroke in English).

His words were an insult to her.

smoking A2

Means: куріння
Not: смокінг → tuxedo

Smoking means the habit of smoking (куріння), not «смокінг» (which is a tuxedo in English).

Smoking is not allowed here.

cartoon A1

Means: мультфільм
Not: картон → cardboard

Cartoon means an animated film or a funny drawing (мультфільм), not «картон» (which is cardboard in English).

The kids are watching a cartoon.

biscuit A1

Means: печиво
Not: бісквіт → sponge cake

Biscuit means a small dry cookie (печиво), not «бісквіт» (which is a sponge cake in English).

I had tea and a biscuit.

prospect B1

Means: перспектива, шанс
Not: проспект → avenue

Prospect means a chance of something in the future (перспектива), not «проспект» (which is an avenue in English).

There is little prospect of finding a job here.

preservative B2

Means: консервант
Not: презерватив → condom

Preservative means a substance that keeps food fresh (консервант), not «презерватив» (which is a condom in English).

This juice has no preservatives.

balloon A2

Means: повітряна кулька
Not: балон → gas cylinder, tank

Balloon means a bag filled with air (повітряна кулька), not «балон» (which is a gas cylinder or tank in English).

She blew up a red balloon.

Words that only sometimes match

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

argument A2 sometimes

Means: суперечка, сварка
Not: аргумент → argument, point

Argument usually means a quarrel (суперечка, сварка). It can also mean «аргумент», a reason for something, as in a strong argument.

They had an argument about money.

adequate B1 sometimes

Means: достатній
Not: адекватний → reasonable, sensible

Adequate means enough or acceptable (достатній). It never describes a sane, level-headed person, which is what «адекватний» usually means; say reasonable or sensible.

The room was small but adequate.

cabinet B1 sometimes

Means: шафа, шафка
Not: кабінет → office, study

Cabinet usually means a cupboard (шафа), and also a government, as in «Кабінет Міністрів». A «кабінет» you work in is an office or a study.

The cups are in the kitchen cabinet.

invalid B1 sometimes

Means: недійсний
Not: інвалід → disabled person

Invalid usually means not valid (недійсний), as with a password or a ticket. The dated noun an invalid is a very ill person; for «людина з інвалідністю» say a disabled person.

Your password is invalid.

chef A2 sometimes

Means: кухар у ресторані
Not: шеф → boss

Chef means a cook in a restaurant (кухар). In a kitchen «шеф» can mean the same, but a «шеф» who is your manager is a boss.

The chef cooks very well.

artist A1 sometimes

Means: художник
Not: артист → performer, actor

Artist usually means a painter or another creator (художник). «Артист» on stage is more often a performer or an actor, though singers are called artists too.

My sister is an artist and paints portraits.

resume B2 sometimes

Means: продовжувати, відновлювати
Not: резюме → CV, summary

Resume as a verb means to continue after a pause (продовжувати). As a noun, résumé is the American word for a CV («резюме»); a short summary is a summary.

The meeting will resume after lunch.

replica B2 sometimes

Means: копія
Not: репліка → remark, line

Replica means an exact copy (копія). «Репліка» can mean that too, but it usually means a remark in a conversation or a line in a play.

The museum sells a replica of the sword.

technique B1 sometimes

Means: техніка, прийом
Not: техніка → machinery, equipment

Technique means a skilled way of doing something (техніка гри, прийом). «Техніка» meaning devices and machines is equipment or machinery.

She teaches a new painting technique.

faculty B2 sometimes

Means: викладацький склад; здібність
Not: факультет → faculty, school

Faculty usually means the teachers of a school or college, or a natural ability (викладачі, здібність). It means «факультет» too in British universities; Americans more often say school.

The faculty meets every Monday.

package B1 sometimes

Means: посилка, пакунок
Not: пакет → plastic bag

Package usually means a parcel (посилка, пакунок). A «пакет» from a shop is a bag, though «пакет послуг» is a package too.

A package arrived for you today.

relief B1 sometimes

Means: полегшення
Not: рельєф → terrain

Relief usually means the good feeling when something bad stops (полегшення). «Рельєф» of the land is terrain; relief in that sense appears mostly in phrases like relief map.

It was a relief to hear your voice.

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 Ukrainian «хибні друзі перекладача») are words in two languages that look or sound alike but have different meanings, like English «magazine» (журнал) and Ukrainian «магазин» (shop).

Why do English and Ukrainian have so many false friends?

Both languages borrowed a lot of vocabulary from Latin, Greek and French, but the words reached them by different routes. Over time the meanings drifted apart, while the spelling stayed similar.

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.