One of the great things about learning French or English is that many words have the same roots in the Romance languages and English. However, there are also a great many faux amis, or false cognates, which look similar but have different meanings. This is one of the biggest pitfalls for students of French. There are also "semi-false cognates": words that can only sometimes be translated by the similar word in the other language.


This alphabetical list (newest additions) includes hundreds of French-English false cognates, with explanations of what each word means and how it can be correctly translated into the other language. To avoid confusion due to the fact that some of the words are identical in the two languages, the French word is followed by (F) and the English word is followed by (E).

jaillir (F) vs jail (E)

     jaillir (F) means to spurt out, gush forth, spring out, etc.
     jail (E) = la prison or emprisonner.

jars (F) vs jars (E)

     jars (F) is the French word for gander - a male goose.
     jars (E) is the plural of "jar" - a wide-mouthed container made of glass or pottery: pot, jarre.

joli (F) vs jolly (E)

     joli (F) means pretty or attractive.
     jolly (E) means joyeux, jovial, or amusant. In British English, jolly is a somewhat old-fashioned adverb meaning drôlement or rudement.

journée (F) vs journey (E)

     journée (F) refers to a day (jour vs journée).
     journey (E) is un voyage or trajet.

justement (F) vs just (E)

     justement (F) can mean exactly, in fact, rightly, or speaking of which.

     just (E) has two main meanings. When it means fair, it translates as juste. When it refers to time, as in I just ate, it is translated by venir de - je viens de manger. justesse (F) vs justice (E)

     la justesse (F) = accuracy, correctness, exactness, soundness, or appropriateness.
     justice (E) = la justice.

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