Confusing Word Pairs in German
A Special German Glossary
An Annotated German-English Glossary of
Confusing Words and Misleading Expressions
C A T E G O R I E S > Main Page
1. German > Different Genders
2. German > Confusing Word Pairs
3. German > Different Meanings in English
4. English > Different Meanings in German
ALSO SEE: English Index of Confusing Words
| Alphabetical German Pairs List | |
| die Achtung | attention; respect |
| die Ächtung | outlawing, proscription; ostracism |
| > The Umlaut makes all the difference! Also see: Different Meanings in English. | |
| bringen | to bring, but often equals English "take" |
| nehmen | to take, but not used in the sense of "to take someone somewhere" |
| > The Details - Complete explanation with examples | |
| drücken | to push |
| to print | |
| > The Details - with examples | |
| die Garage | garage (for keeping cars) |
| die Werkstatt | garage (for repairing cars) |
| > A "parking garage" is das Parkhaus | |
| kennen | to know (a person), be familar with |
| wissen | to know (facts, information) |
| > For Details see: kennen and wissen | |
| legen | to put, lay down (horizontally) |
| stellen | to put, place (vertically) |
| > Both mean "put" in some contexts, but one is vertical, the other horizontal. | |
| lernen | to study (homework), learn |
| studieren | to study (university) |
| > Both can mean "study" in English, but in different contexts. | |
| machen | to make, do, but not the same as tun |
| tun | to do, but not the same as machen |
| > The Details - Complete explanation with examples | |
| der Mandant | client (jur.) |
| das Mandat | mandate; seat (in parliament) |
| > An "n" and different genders separate the two words | |
| schlecht | bad, but different from schlimm |
| schlimm | bad, but different from schlecht |
| > The Details - Complete explanation with examples | |
| schwul | gay, homosexual |
| schwül | humid, muggy, oppressive (weather) |
| > Only an Umlaut separates the two very different words | |
| wann | when (time) |
| wenn | when, whenever, if |
| > The Details - Complete explanation with examples | |
| zahlen | to pay |
| zählen | to count |
| > Only an Umlaut separates the two different words | |
English Index of Confusing Words
An English-to-German list to help you find confusing German words like those on this page.
M O R E > Confusing Words | False Friends
Got a new word pair? Email me to add new words or ask a question.
Related Pages
Confusing Words and Expressions
Part One of our confusing words section.
False Friends/falsche Freunde
An article about these tricky little devils.
English Index of Confusing Words
An English-to-German list to help you find confusing German words.
When the Plural is Singular
German and English nouns don't always follow the same rules when it comes to singular and plural forms.
False-Friend Flashcards
Vocabulary practice for the German false cognates.
Glossary A-to-Z Index
Find more annotated English-German glossaries by keyword.
Das Wort des Tages
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Online Dictionaries
Links and info for dictionaries and glossaries.
Web Links
Anglizismen und Übersetzungsfallen
Eine deutsche Liste von gesammelten Übersetzungsfallen - zusammengestellt von Stefan Winterstein.
False Friends
A look at German-English false friends from the German perspective: "Waiter, when will I become a beefsteak?" (become/bekommen/werden).
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