German False Friends: 40 Words That Look English but Mean Something Else
German false friends are words that look or sound like English words but mean something different: Gift is poison, bekommen means “to get”, Chef is your boss and bald means “soon”. Below are 40 real pairs with the correct meaning, the German word you actually want, and an example sentence for each.
Shared Germanic roots make Haus and Wasser easy, but some related words drifted apart. Gift once meant “a gift” in German too; that sense survives only in Mitgift (dowry). Traps like these are part of why the hardest part of learning German is often trusting your instincts too much.
The 40 most important German false friends
| German word | What it really means | English look-alike in German | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| also | so, therefore | also = auch | Es regnet, also bleiben wir zu Hause. (It’s raining, so we’re staying home.) |
| aktuell | current, up to date | actual = tatsächlich | Das ist die aktuelle Version. (That is the current version.) |
| die Art | kind, type, way | art = die Kunst | Welche Art von Musik magst du? (What kind of music do you like?) |
| bald | soon | bald = glatzköpfig | Bis bald! (See you soon!) |
| bekommen | to get, to receive | to become = werden | Ich bekomme morgen mein Gehalt. (I get my salary tomorrow.) |
| blank | shiny; bare; (colloquial) broke | blank = leer | Ende des Monats bin ich immer blank. (At the end of the month I’m always broke.) |
| brav | well-behaved, good | brave = mutig | Die Kinder waren heute sehr brav. (The children were very good today.) |
| der Chef / die Chefin | boss, manager | chef = der Koch / die Köchin | Meine Chefin ist heute im Homeoffice. (My boss is working from home today.) |
| eventuell | possibly, maybe | eventually = schließlich, irgendwann | Ich komme eventuell später. (I might come later.) |
| fast | almost | fast = schnell | Ich bin fast fertig. (I’m almost done.) |
| die Fabrik | factory | fabric = der Stoff | Er arbeitet in einer Fabrik. (He works in a factory.) |
| das Gift | poison | gift = das Geschenk | Das Gift ist gefährlich. (The poison is dangerous.) |
| das Gymnasium | academic secondary school | gym = das Fitnessstudio, die Turnhalle | Meine Tochter geht aufs Gymnasium. (My daughter goes to an academic secondary school.) |
| die Hochschule | university, college of higher education | high school = die weiterführende Schule | Sie studiert an einer Hochschule in Köln. (She studies at a university in Cologne.) |
| die Kaution | deposit (rent), bail | caution = die Vorsicht | Die Kaution beträgt drei Monatsmieten. (The deposit is three months’ rent.) |
| der Mist | manure; rubbish, nonsense | mist = der Nebel, der Dunst | Mist, ich habe den Schlüssel vergessen! (Oh no, I forgot the key!) |
| ordinär | vulgar, crude, cheap-looking | ordinary = gewöhnlich, normal | Der Witz war ziemlich ordinär. (The joke was pretty crude.) |
| der Pickel | pimple, spot | pickle = die Essiggurke | Ich habe einen Pickel auf der Nase. (I have a spot on my nose.) |
| der Rat | advice; also council | rat = die Ratte | Kannst du mir einen Rat geben? (Can you give me some advice?) |
| die Rente | pension | rent = die Miete | Mein Vater geht nächstes Jahr in Rente. (My father retires next year.) |
| sensibel | sensitive | sensible = vernünftig | Er ist ein sehr sensibler Mensch. (He is a very sensitive person.) |
| sympathisch | likeable, nice | sympathetic = mitfühlend, verständnisvoll | Die neue Kollegin ist sehr sympathisch. (The new colleague is very likeable.) |
| die Wand | wall (of a room or building) | wand = der Zauberstab | Das Bild hängt an der Wand. (The picture is hanging on the wall.) |
| wer | who | where = wo | Wer ist das? Und wo wohnt er? (Who is that? And where does he live?) |
| die Billion | trillion (10^12) | billion = die Milliarde | Die Schulden liegen bei über einer Billion Euro. (The debt is over a trillion euros.) |
| der Brief | letter | brief = kurz | Ich habe einen Brief vom Finanzamt bekommen. (I got a letter from the tax office.) |
| die Note | grade, mark; musical note | note = die Notiz | Ich habe im Test eine gute Note bekommen. (I got a good grade in the test.) |
| die Dose | can, tin | dose = die Dosis | Eine Dose Tomaten, bitte. (A tin of tomatoes, please.) |
| das Menü | set meal; menu on a screen | menu (card) = die Speisekarte | Ich nehme das Menü mit Suppe und Dessert. (I’ll have the set meal with soup and dessert.) |
| die Promotion | doctorate (earning a PhD) | promotion at work = die Beförderung | Nach ihrer Promotion hat sie in der Forschung gearbeitet. (After her doctorate she worked in research.) |
| spenden | to donate | to spend = ausgeben (money), verbringen (time) | Wir spenden jedes Jahr für das Tierheim. (We donate to the animal shelter every year.) |
| ich will | I want | I will = ich werde | Ich will nach Berlin ziehen. (I want to move to Berlin.) |
| die Taste | key, button | taste = der Geschmack | Drücken Sie die grüne Taste. (Press the green button.) |
| der Termin | appointment; deadline | term = das Semester, der Begriff | Ich habe morgen einen Termin beim Arzt. (I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow.) |
| das Personal | staff, personnel | personal = persönlich | Das Personal im Hotel war sehr freundlich. (The hotel staff were very friendly.) |
| der Unternehmer / die Unternehmerin | entrepreneur, business owner | undertaker = der Bestatter / die Bestatterin | Sie ist Unternehmerin und hat zwölf Angestellte. (She runs her own business and has twelve employees.) |
| das Präservativ | condom | preservative = der Konservierungsstoff | Food labels say ohne Konservierungsstoffe (without preservatives), never Präservativ. |
| genial | brilliant, ingenious | genial = freundlich, herzlich | Das ist eine geniale Idee! (That’s a brilliant idea!) |
| die Hochzeit | wedding | high time = höchste Zeit | Die Hochzeit ist im Mai. (The wedding is in May.) |
| selbstbewusst | self-confident | self-conscious = unsicher, gehemmt | Sie wirkt sehr selbstbewusst. (She seems very self-confident.) |
Die Note also means a musical note, and die Promotion can mean a marketing promotion in business German, but at school and university they mean the grade and the doctorate. Some words on other lists of German false friends are only partial traps, so we left them out: der See is a lake, but die See is the sea.
Denglisch: English-looking words that English speakers don’t use
Pseudo-anglicisms look English but were created or reshaped in German, so English never had that meaning.
| German “English” | Meaning in German | What you say in English |
|---|---|---|
| das Handy | mobile phone | mobile, cell phone |
| der Beamer | projector | projector |
| der Oldtimer | classic or vintage car | classic car |
| das Public Viewing | watching a match on big screens in a public place | outdoor screening |
| der Smoking | tuxedo, dinner jacket | tuxedo |
| das Mobbing | bullying, especially at work or school | bullying |
| das Homeoffice | working from home | working from home |
| das Shooting | photo shoot | photo shoot |
You will hear Mein Handy ist leer (my phone battery is dead) and Morgen bin ich im Homeoffice (I’m working from home tomorrow) constantly. During football tournaments Germans gather for Public Viewing in squares and beer gardens; in American English the phrase can refer to viewing a deceased person before a funeral.
Embarrassing mistakes learners make
- “Ich habe ein Gift für dich.” You just told someone you have poison for them. Say Ich habe ein Geschenk für dich.
- “Ich bekomme Arzt.” Meant as “I’m becoming a doctor”. Say Ich werde Arzt or Ich werde Ärztin.
- “Ich gehe heute ins Gymnasium.” Meant as “I’m going to the gym”. You said you are going to an academic secondary school. Say Ich gehe heute ins Fitnessstudio.
- “Mein Chef kocht sehr gut.” Correct German, but it means your boss is a good cook. The restaurant cook is der Koch or die Köchin.
- “Ich will einen Kaffee.” Grammatically fine, but ich will is direct and can sound demanding when ordering. Ich hätte gern einen Kaffee or Ich möchte einen Kaffee is the polite version; the difference is explained in möchte vs mochte vs will.
- “Das ist sehr sensibel von dir.” You meant “sensible” and said “sensitive”. Say Das ist sehr vernünftig von dir.
- “Ich bin eventuell da.” You said “I might be there”, not “I’ll get there eventually”. For “eventually”, use schließlich or irgendwann.
How to learn German false friends without mixing them up
Learn sentences, not word pairs. “Gift = poison” is easy to forget; Achtung, Gift! (Warning, poison!) gives you a picture. The card setup in Anki for German vocabulary works well: German sentence on the front, meaning and look-alike on the back.
Put the trap and the right word on one card. Ich bekomme ein Paket. / Ich werde Lehrerin. Seeing bekommen and werden together trains the contrast.
Do 5 a day for 8 days. About 10 minutes a day with a quick review covers all 40 in just over a week.
Say them out loud. False friends slip out when you speak fast. Reading helps you recognise them; speaking helps you stop producing them, the same idea behind how to sound more German.
False friends are mostly a speaking problem: in conversation you have half a second to pick a word. SipLingo lets you practise everyday situations by voice, and when you use the wrong word, the correction explains it in your own language with the correct sentence and an example. Practise German conversations with instant corrections.
False friends inside compound words
The traps continue inside longer words: Giftschlange (venomous snake), Rentenversicherung (pension insurance), Briefkasten (letterbox). How these are built is in German compound words. Several words above, like also, fast and bekommen, are also among the most common German words, so learn those first.
Quick quiz: 10 German false friends
Choose the correct meaning.
- Ich bin fast fertig. (a) I’m quickly done (b) I’m almost done
- Er hat einen guten Rat bekommen. (a) He got good advice (b) He got a good rat
- Das ist mein Chef. (a) That is my cook (b) That is my boss
- Die Miete ist hoch, die Kaution auch. What is Kaution? (a) a warning (b) a deposit
- Sie ist sehr sympathisch. (a) She is likeable (b) She feels sorry for you
- Wir sehen uns bald. (a) We’ll see each other soon (b) We’ll see the bald man
- Ich gehe in Rente. (a) I’m renting a flat (b) I’m retiring
- Kannst du die Dose öffnen? (a) Can you open the can? (b) Can you take the dose?
- Er ist Unternehmer. (a) He runs a business (b) He organises funerals
- Das Menü kostet 15 Euro. (a) The menu card costs 15 euros (b) The set meal costs 15 euros
Answers
- (b) fast = almost
- (a) der Rat = advice
- (b) der Chef = boss
- (b) die Kaution = deposit
- (a) sympathisch = likeable
- (a) bald = soon
- (b) in Rente gehen = to retire
- (a) die Dose = can, tin
- (a) der Unternehmer = business owner, entrepreneur
- (b) das Menü = set meal
Meanings checked in October 2026 against the Duden and DWDS dictionaries.
Official sources
For the official details and the latest updates, see:
- DWDS (Berlin-Brandenburg Academy): DWDS – Digital Dictionary of the German Language – Free dictionary with meanings, word frequency and typical word combinations
Frequently asked questions
What are German false friends?
Words that look or sound like English words but mean something else, such as Gift (poison), bald (soon) or also (so, therefore). Many share an old root and drifted apart in meaning.
Can you give me a list of German false friends?
The most common include also (so), aktuell (current), bald (soon), bekommen (to get), Chef (boss), eventuell (possibly), fast (almost) and Rente (pension). The table above lists 40.
What does “bekommen” mean?
Bekommen means “to get” or “to receive”: Ich bekomme eine E-Mail (I’m getting an email). “To become” in German is werden: Ich werde Krankenpfleger (I’m becoming a nurse).
What does “Gift” mean in German (Was bedeutet Gift)?
Das Gift means poison. A present is das Geschenk; the old meaning “gift” survives only in Mitgift (dowry).
What are examples of false friends in English and German?
Rat (advice), Brief (letter), Billion (trillion), Wand (wall) and Hochzeit (wedding). Pseudo-anglicisms like Handy (mobile phone) are a related trap.
Stop false friends from slipping out when you speak. SipLingo corrects your German in real conversations and explains your mistakes in your own language.
