There are thousands of cognates between Italian and English, but some of them can be false friends! Make sure you know the true meaning of a word before working it into your spoken language. The following section will help you to avoid many common mistakes. It is important to keep in mind that not all words that look alike mean the same thing. There are numerous false friends in Italian and English! False friends are words that look alike but have different meanings.

annoiato ≠ annoyed; annoiato = bored

argomento ≠ argument; argomento = subject

assistere ≠ to assist; assistere = to attend

attendere ≠ to attend; attendere = to wait

attualmente ≠ actually; attualmente = currently

bravo ≠ brave; bravo = good/clever

camera ≠ camera; camera = room

caldo ≠ cold; caldo = hot

collegio ≠ college; collegio = boarding school

cocomero ≠ cucumber; cocomero = watermelon

editore ≠ editor; editore = publisher

educato ≠ educated; educato = polite

eventualmente ≠ eventually; eventualmente = possibly, if necessary

fabbrica ≠ fabric; fabbrica = factory

fattoria ≠ factory; fattoria = farm

parente ≠ parent; parente = relative

largo ≠ large; largo = wide

libreria ≠ library; libreria = bookstore

lussuria ≠ luxury; lussuria = lust

magazzino ≠ magazine; magazzino = warehouse

patente ≠ patent; patente = driver's license

preservativo ≠ preservative; preservativo = condom

romanza ≠ romance; romanza = novel