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False Friends and Confusables

Actually, sensible, affect/effect, raise/rise.

Pairs that are easily confused · FCE accuracy
B2 Vocabulary

What are false friends?

False friends are words that look similar to a word in another language but have a different meaning in English. These are common sources of error.
Français
English
en fait
→
actually — in fact — NOT currently or at the moment
sensé
→
sensible — having good judgement — NOT sensitive (emotionally)
embarrassé
→
embarrassed — feeling ashamed — NOT pregnant
bibliothèque
→
library — a place to borrow books — NOT a bookshop
finalement
→
eventually — in the end — NOT possibly or perhaps

Confusable pairs

These pairs look or sound similar in English and are confused by many learners.
Français
English
affecter / effet
→
affect vs effect — affect = verb · effect = noun (generally)
principal / principe
→
principal vs principle — principal = main / head · principle = rule/belief
economic / economical
→
economic vs economical — economic = relating to the economy · economical = not wasteful
historic / historical
→
historic vs historical — historic = important in history · historical = about history
raise / rise
→
raise vs rise — raise = lift (transitive) · rise = go up (intransitive)

More confusables

Français
English
prévenir / éviter
→
prevent vs avoid — prevent = stop something from happening · avoid = stay away from
découvrir / inventer
→
discover vs invent — discover = find something already existing · invent = create something new
nier / refuser
→
deny vs refuse — deny = say it is not true · refuse = decline to do something
se souvenir / rappeler
→
remember vs remind — remember = recall yourself · remind = cause someone else to remember

Summary

Français
English
faux amis
→
False friends — actually · sensible · embarrassed · library · eventually
paires confondables
→
Confusable pairs — affect/effect · economic/economical · raise/rise · deny/refuse · remember/remind
stratégie
→
Strategy — Learn each word in context with a clear example sentence
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