Please note that the words below are the same only in writing but not in pronunciation. Still interesting and fun to know it, though. :) WORD MEANING IN ENGLISH MEANING IN GERMAN GIFT a present poison DANK chilly wet gratefulness, thanks STARK bare, grim, harsh strong KIND nice, generous a child HUT small building a hat ROCK a stone; to move back and forth a skirt STOCK a share in a company a cane MITTEN a glove in the middle SAGE a wise person say [first person, present tense]; also a saga LINKS plural of link, connections left [opposite to right] TOLL a charge for road usage fantastic BOOT a tall shoe boat LUNGE a sudden thrust lung GUT intestine or stomach good MIST light fog dung, manure NOT in no way an emergency LAST at the end freight, burden HANDY easy to handle cellular phone [new word] MOST superlative of many apple cider [Southern Germany, Austria] RIND a tough outer covering, of cheese for example an individual of cattle LOT a considerable quantity a plumb TALK speak talc BAD evil, harmful bath RAT a rodent advice TRUNK the nose of an elefant a drink (together with some people) LIED past tense of “to lie” a song HALL a large room a short echo FAST quickly almost BRIEF short a letter SAME identical, e.g., at the same time a seed BALD lacking of natural covering, e.g., hair soon SOLD past tense of “to sell” a soldier’s salary LAG to fall behind past tense of “legen” (intransitive verb, i.e., lie) GLUT an oversupply embers LACK to be deficient lacquer WAR an armed conflict past tense of “sein” (to be) TOT a small child dead (adverb) TOTE to carry by hand as in tote-bag dead (adjective) GRAB to seize a grave LIST a sequence craftiness JAMMER one that jams misery KIPPER a fish cured in salt a dump truck STERN firm and unyielding a star DICK short form of Richard; colloquial for penis stout, corpulent SEE to behold with your eyes a lake ART The production of beautiful forms of sound or shape a species ANGEL a spiritual being attendant upon God a fishing rod BAT A flying mammal; a wooden club past tense of “bitten” (to ask for something) HAT a head covering third person present tense for “haben” (to have) MUTTER to speak indistinctly in a low voice mother LEG a lower extremity in a human imperative for “legen” (to lay) LOG the fallen trunk of a tree past tense of “lügen” (to lie) TEE a t-shaped peg to place a golf ball on tea MADE past tense of “to make” a maggot SUCH As in “such as” imperative for “suchen” (to search) LURCH to roll or pitch suddenly a salamander MARK a sign or visible impression marrow (like “Knochenmark” bone-marrow) QUALM a sensation of doubt, uneasiness (“to have no qualms about it”) thick smoke MAUL to bruise or tear (“mauled by a wild animal”) the mouth of an animal (“das Maul halten” to shut up) WELT a ridge or bump raised on the skin by a lash or blow the world If you know another word whose meaning is entirely different and preferably of a different root in English and German but whose spelling is the same (“false cognate”), please send an email.
WORD | MEANING IN ENGLISH | MEANING IN GERMAN |
|---|---|---|
| GIFT | a present | poison |
| DANK | chilly wet | gratefulness, thanks |
| STARK | bare, grim, harsh | strong |
| KIND | nice, generous | a child |
| HUT | small building | a hat |
| ROCK | a stone; to move back and forth | a skirt |
| STOCK | a share in a company | a cane |
| MITTEN | a glove | in the middle |
| SAGE | a wise person | say [first person, present tense]; also a saga |
| LINKS | plural of link, connections | left [opposite to right] |
| TOLL | a charge for road usage | fantastic |
| BOOT | a tall shoe | boat |
| LUNGE | a sudden thrust | lung |
| GUT | intestine or stomach | good |
| MIST | light fog | dung, manure |
| NOT | in no way | an emergency |
| LAST | at the end | freight, burden |
| HANDY | easy to handle | cellular phone [new word] |
| MOST | superlative of many | apple cider [Southern Germany, Austria] |
| RIND | a tough outer covering, of cheese for example | an individual of cattle |
| LOT | a considerable quantity | a plumb |
| TALK | speak | talc |
| BAD | evil, harmful | bath |
| RAT | a rodent | advice |
| TRUNK | the nose of an elefant | a drink (together with some people) |
| LIED | past tense of “to lie” | a song |
| HALL | a large room | a short echo |
| FAST | quickly | almost |
| BRIEF | short | a letter |
| SAME | identical, e.g., at the same time | a seed |
| BALD | lacking of natural covering, e.g., hair | soon |
| SOLD | past tense of “to sell” | a soldier’s salary |
| LAG | to fall behind | past tense of “legen” (intransitive verb, i.e., lie) |
| GLUT | an oversupply | embers |
| LACK | to be deficient | lacquer |
| WAR | an armed conflict | past tense of “sein” (to be) |
| TOT | a small child | dead (adverb) |
| TOTE | to carry by hand as in tote-bag | dead (adjective) |
| GRAB | to seize | a grave |
| LIST | a sequence | craftiness |
| JAMMER | one that jams | misery |
| KIPPER | a fish cured in salt | a dump truck |
| STERN | firm and unyielding | a star |
| DICK | short form of Richard; colloquial for penis | stout, corpulent |
| SEE | to behold with your eyes | a lake |
| ART | The production of beautiful forms of sound or shape | a species |
| ANGEL | a spiritual being attendant upon God | a fishing rod |
| BAT | A flying mammal; a wooden club | past tense of “bitten” (to ask for something) |
| HAT | a head covering | third person present tense for “haben” (to have) |
| MUTTER | to speak indistinctly in a low voice | mother |
| LEG | a lower extremity in a human | imperative for “legen” (to lay) |
| LOG | the fallen trunk of a tree | past tense of “lügen” (to lie) |
| TEE | a t-shaped peg to place a golf ball on | tea |
| MADE | past tense of “to make” | a maggot |
| SUCH | As in “such as” | imperative for “suchen” (to search) |
| LURCH | to roll or pitch suddenly | a salamander |
| MARK | a sign or visible impression | marrow (like “Knochenmark” bone-marrow) |
| QUALM | a sensation of doubt, uneasiness (“to have no qualms about it”) | thick smoke |
| MAUL | to bruise or tear (“mauled by a wild animal”) | the mouth of an animal (“das Maul halten” to shut up) |
| WELT | a ridge or bump raised on the skin by a lash or blow | the world |
| If you know another word whose meaning is entirely different and preferably of a different root in English and German but whose spelling is the same (“false cognate”), please send an email. | ||
