It’s a trap!

10 words that don’t mean what you think they do

Image: Patrick Fore

Ever encountered a word in another language that seemed familiar but left you confused? False cognates—words that appear similar but have unrelated meanings—are the culprits. These "false friends" can sometimes lead to hilarious or embarrassing misunderstandings, especially for language learners. From actual in Spanish to sensible in French, here are 10 examples that demonstrate just how deceptive languages can be.

Image: Bank Phrom

In Spanish, actual means "current," not "real."

English speakers might assume the Spanish word actual refers to authenticity, but it actually relates to time. When someone describes something as actual, they mean it’s current or relevant today. The confusion arises from the Latin root actualis, which means "pertaining to action or the present."

To express the idea of "real" in Spanish, you’d use real or verdadero. This subtle distinction often trips up many learners!

Image: Kira auf der Heide

In German, "gift" means "poison."

This one can cause serious confusion if you try to thank a German friend for a thoughtful present and mistakenly use the word gift. While both words stem from the same Germanic root, meaning "something given," the German term Gift later evolved to mean "poison."

The correct translation for the English word "gift" is geschenk, which refers to the type of present most people imagine (and not a poisonous surprise in a pretty box).

Image: Stefan C. Asafti

In French, chef means "boss," not just "cook."

The English word chef comes from the French expression chef de cuisine (head of the kitchen). However, in French, chef refers broadly to any leader, whether it’s a CEO, a project manager, or a team supervisor. The term traces back to the Latin caput, meaning "head."

For cook, the correct French term is cuisinier.

Image: Scott Webb

In Russian, "brat" means "brother."

English speakers might associate the word brat with misbehaving children, but in Russian, it’s an affectionate term for a male sibling. The word comes from the Old Slavic bratrъ, a cognate of English brother.

The English word brat likely originated from 16th-century slang meaning "child," entirely unrelated to the Slavic word.

Image: Camylla Battani

In Spanish, "embarazada" means "pregnant."

This false cognate can lead to more than one social blunder. While the morphologically similar word embarrassed in English refers to feelings of shame or discomfort, embarazada specifically refers to a state of pregnancy.

If you want to say embarrassed in Spanish, use avergonzado instead.

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In Italian, grosso means "big" or "large," not "gross."

English speakers might think grosso refers to something disgusting, but in Italian, it’s all about size. Derived from the Latin grossus, meaning "thick" or "coarse," it’s commonly used to describe large objects or significant quantities. For example, un grosso problema translates to "a big problem," not a "gross problem."

To express disgust in Italian, use words like disgustoso or schifoso.

Image: John Michael Thomson

In Spanish, librería means "bookstore," not "library."

This mix-up is a classic for English speakers. In Spanish, a librería is actually a place where you buy books, while a library (for borrowing books) is called a biblioteca.

The confusion is understandable, as both words trace back to the Latin liber, meaning "book."

Image: Conner Baker

In Portuguese, "costume" means "custom" or "habit," not "costume."

English speakers associate the word costume with theatrical outfits or Halloween attire, but in Portuguese, it refers to a routine practice or tradition. The word originates from the Latin consuetudo, meaning "custom" or "habit." This distinction often surprises learners, as the words seem so closely related at first glance.

If you want to talk about a costume in Portuguese, you can use the word fantasia.

Image: Aaron Lee

In French, sensible means "sensitive," not "practical."

If someone in France describes you as sensible, they mean you’re emotionally responsive, not logical or practical. While both words come from the Latin sensibilis, meaning "able to feel," the English use, implying reasonableness, likely evolved through association with prudence and good judgment.

If you still want to say sensible in French, the correct word would be raisonnable.

Image: Resume Genius

In Spanish, "compromiso" means "commitment" or "obligation," not "compromise."

While English speakers use compromise to describe a negotiated middle ground, in Spanish, the similar word compromiso refers to a promise, duty, or engagement. For instance, tengo un compromiso translates to "I have a commitment," not "I have made a compromise."

To convey the idea of compromise in Spanish, the term acuerdo (agreement) or concesión (concession) can be used instead.

ONLINE CODEX

10 Fun Facts You Didn’t Know About The History Of Emojis

Image: Domingo Alvarez E

Anyone who has ever engaged in an online conversation knows that there’s an important element missing that can easily lead to misunderstandings: nuance. When we are talking, we use tonality and facial expressions to convey an important part of the meaning of what we are communicating. Emojis come to save the day, adding color, emotion, and much-needed nuance to our text-based conversations.

But where did these tiny pictographs come from, and how did they evolve into the diverse set we use today? Let's take a journey through the history of emojis and uncover some fascinating facts along the way.

Image: Jezael Melgoza

Emojis originated in Japan in the late 1990s, a graphical evolution from their punctuation mark-based predecessors, the emoticons. Contrary to popular belief, their name does not stem from the word emotion (like emoticons) but from the combination of the Japanese words for "picture" (e) and "character" (moji). The first set of emojis - consisting of 90 icons - was created in 1997 by SoftBank, a Japanese mobile carrier.

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In 2010, emojis gained global recognition when they were standardized by the Unicode Consortium, allowing them to be used across different platforms and devices. This standardization ensured that emojis would display consistently, regardless of the operating system or application.

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While emojis initially began with simple smiley faces and expressions, they have evolved to encompass a wide range of symbols, objects, animals, and even flags representing different countries. Today, there are over 3,000 emojis available, offering users a diverse palette for expressing themselves.

Image: Kelvin Yan

Emojis have transcended linguistic and cultural barriers, becoming a universal language of sorts. In recognition of their influence, in 2015 Oxford Dictionaries named the U+1F602 (😂) emoji, known as "face with tears of joy," the Word of the Year. From the United States to China, people around the world have incorporated emojis into their digital communication seamlessly, adding a layer of emotional context to their messages.

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In recent years, there has been a push for more inclusive emojis, leading to the introduction of gender-neutral options and diverse skin tones. In particular, skin tones in emojis are based on the Fitzpatrick scale for classifying human skin color, a scale designed to estimate the effects of UV light on different types of skin. When no modifier is selected, emojis are often set to the default, non-realistic, Simpson-esque yellow.

Image: Bernard Hermant

Emojis don't just convey emotions; they reflect cultural trends and internet phenomena. Furthermore, linguists believe that as they continue to grow and develop, true emoji "dialects" will arise. And while many emoji have acquired almost standardized meanings, we could easily argue that it is already happening, as small groups of people tend to interpret and use emoji in quite different ways.

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July 17th is celebrated as World Emoji Day, commemorating the date originally displayed on Apple’s calendar emoji (📅). Although an unofficial holiday, the festivity remains a testament to the widespread popularity and cultural impact of emojis, with events and activities held around the world to mark the occasion.

Image: Markus Winkler

According to linguists, emoji do not necessarily carry their own fixed meaning but rather act as a paralanguage, adding meaning to text. This can lead to all sorts of communication problems as emojis are translated between different cultural settings or even between different platforms. Even a seemingly universal emoji like the smiling face can convey a meaning apparently opposite to its intended meaning.

Image: Tingey Injury Law Firm

Emojis have even found their way into legal proceedings, with courts grappling with the interpretation and admissibility of emojis as evidence. In some cases, emojis have been used to clarify the intent behind messages or to establish a timeline of events. However, the meaning of emojis can be easily misconstrued, as their interpretation often varies from user to user. For example, in a 2004 case regarding alleged industrial espionage, an email that referred to a "spy" within one of the involved companies was dismissed as evidence of criminal intent due to the usage of a smiley face emoji, suggesting it was a playful comment rather than a serious message.

Image: James Lee

Emojis have fundamentally changed the way we communicate in the digital age, even influencing the way we think. Psychologists have found that emojis can activate the same brain regions that are responsible for processing emotions. Also, they effectively change how messages are read and perceived, sometimes helping to soften or emphasize the information. In a highly visual world, emojis seem to be a highly successful addition to our written language, making communication faster and more efficient regardless of the medium.