# List of English–Spanish interlingual homographs

This is a list of words that occur in both the English language and the Spanish language, but which have different meanings and/or pronunciations in each language. Such words are called interlingual homographs. Homographs are two or more words that have the same written form.
This list includes only homographs that are written precisely the same in English and Spanish: They have the same spelling, hyphenation, capitalization, word dividers, etc. It excludes proper nouns and words that have different diacritics (e.g., invasion/invasión, pâté/paté).

## Relationships between words

The words below are categorised based on their relationship: cognates, false cognates, false friends, and modern loanwords. Cognates are words that have a common etymological origin. False cognates are words in different languages that seem to be cognates because they look similar and may even have similar meanings, but which do not share a common ancestor. False friends do share a common ancestor, but even though they look alike or sound similar, they differ significantly in meaning. Loanwords are words that are adopted from one language into another. Since this article is about homographs, the loanwords listed here are written the same not only in English and Spanish, but also in the language that the word came from.
Many of the words in the list are Latin cognates. Because Spanish is a Romance language (which means it evolved from Latin), many of its words are either inherited from Latin or derive from Latin words. Although English is a Germanic language, it, too, incorporates thousands of Latinate words that are related to words in Spanish. Yet even with so many Latin cognates, only a small minority are written precisely the same in both languages.
Even though the words in this list are written the same in both languages, none of them are pronounced the same—not even the word no.

## Cognates

The cognates in the table below share meanings in English and Spanish, but have different pronunciation.
Some words entered Middle English and Early Modern Spanish indirectly and at different times. For example, a Latinate word might enter English by way of Old French, but enter Spanish directly from Latin. Such differences can introduce changes in spelling and meaning.
Although most of the cognates have at least one meaning shared by English and Spanish, they can have other meanings that are not shared. A word might also be used in different contexts in each language.

### Arabic cognates

* alcohol
* alfalfa
* henna
* imam
* soda
* ↑ In Spanish, the preferred word is alheña.
* ↑ False friends

### Aymara cognates

* alpaca(s)

### German cognates

* zinc

### Greek cognates

All of the following Greek cognates are nouns. In addition, gas and gases are verbs in English.
* amnesia
* anemia(s)
* aorta(s)
* auto(s)
* beta(s)
* drama(s)
* enema(s)
* gas(es)
* gastritis
* gingivitis
* melodrama(s)
* metro(s)
* otitis
* panorama(s)
* sepia(s)
* zeta(s)

### Japanese cognates

* judo
* karaoke
* kimono
* mecha(s)
* sushi
* tsunami(s)
* ↑ From Japanese メカ (meka), an abbreviation of the English adjective mechanical

### Latin cognates

* abdomen
* absorbed
* abuse(s)
* accede(s)
* acceded
* acuse(s)
* admire(s)
* antecede(s)
* anteceded
* adore(s)
* alias
* anterior
* arteriosclerosis
* ascended
* aspire(s)
* atlas
* balance(s)
* base(s)
* calibre(s)
* cede(s)
* cheque(s)
* civil
* clan
* combine(s)
* compare(s)
* compile(s)
* complete(s)
* concede(s)
* condense(s)
* conserve(s)
* converse(s)
* console(s)
* contended
* control
* converge(s)
* converged
* cosmos
* cruel
* debate(s)
* declare(s)
* defended
* define(s)
* depended
* depone(s)
* deponed
* derive(s)
* detective(s)
* determine(s)
* diabetes
* dispute(s)
* don
* eclipse(s)
* emerge(s)
* emerged
* enclave(s)
* escape(s)
* excuse(s)
* exhale(s)
* expulse(s)
* fallen
* fatigue(s)
* formula(s)
* fume(s)
* fusile(s)
* gratis
* grave(s)
* herpes
* ignore(s)
* imagine(s)
* indices
* induce(s)
* impulse(s)
* inclusive
* inflame(s)
* inspire(s)
* invite(s)
* laurel
* marches
* mire(s)
* move(s)
* mediocre
* nave(s)
* noble
* oasis
* observe(s)
* opine(s)
* parasol
* pare(s)
* patine(s)
* pelvis
* perfume(s)
* plan(es)
* precede(s)
* preceded
* prepare(s)
* pretended
* pulse(s)
* pubis
* recuse(s)
* relieve(s)
* removed
* resolved
* respire(s)
* responded
* semen
* simple
* sublime
* suspense
* tended
* tire(s)
* use(s)
* vended
* virus
* vote(s)
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 False friends
* 1 2 Originally Greek
* ↑ In Spanish, vote is a verb: the formal singular imperative (et al.) of votar: The noun is voto.

#### Words with an -a ending

* acacia
* academia
* ala
* alga
* arena(s)
* aroma(s)
* aula(s)
* aurora(s)
* azalea(s)
* bacteria
* campana(s)
* concha(s)
* errata(s)
* extra(s)
* fauna(s)
* flora(s)
* gardenia(s)
* hernia(s)
* idea(s)
* influenza(s)
* insignia(s)
* lava(s)
* media(s)
* nostalgia
* pasta(s)
* persona(s)
* petunia(s)
* retina(s)
* saliva(s)
* vagina(s)
* villa(s)
* visa(s)
* ↑ Originally Greek
* 1 2 3 False friends

#### Words with an -able ending

* abominable
* adaptable
* adjustable
* admirable
* adoptable
* adorable
* alterable
* amortizable
* bailable
* biodegradable
* cable
* comparable
* computable
* culpable
* curable
* degradable
* durable(s)
* evitable
* favorable
* habitable
* implacable
* improbable
* inalterable
* inevitable
* innumerable
* irritable
* laudable
* miserable
* notable
* penetrable
* rentable
* sociable
* utilizable
* variable(s)
* vulnerable

#### Words with an -al ending

All of the following words are adjectives and/or nouns.
* abdominal
* aboriginal
* accidental
* actual
* adverbial
* anal
* animal
* arsenal
* arterial
* artificial
* asexual
* astral
* austral
* autumnal
* aval
* axial
* banal
* bestial
* bicameral
* brutal
* cabal
* canal
* cantal
* capital
* cardinal
* carnal
* caudal
* causal
* central
* cereal
* ceremonial
* coaxial
* continental
* cordial
* corporal
* cultural
* decagonal
* decimal
* diagonal
* dual
* ducal
* editorial
* episcopal
* eternal
* eventual
* experimental
* facial
* fatal
* fecal
* federal
* femoral
* ferial
* festival
* fetal
* feudal
* filial
* final
* fiscal
* focal
* formal
* funeral
* general
* genial
* genital
* global
* gradual
* habitual
* heptagonal
* hexagonal
* homosexual
* horizontal
* hospital
* ideal
* imperial
* impersonal
* individual
* infernal
* informal
* jovial
* labial
* laical
* lateral
* latitudinal
* legal
* local
* longitudinal
* madrigal
* magisterial
* magistral
* mal
* manual
* marginal
* marital
* marsupial
* material
* mayoral
* medieval
* mental
* metal
* mineral
* moral
* mural
* nasal
* natal
* natural
* naval
* nonagonal
* normal
* occidental
* octagonal
* oral
* ordinal
* original
* oval
* paranormal
* pedal
* pedestal
* penal
* pentagonal
* personal
* plural
* portal
* principal
* provincial
* provisional
* racial
* radial
* radical
* recital
* rectal
* regional
* ritual
* rival
* rural
* sexual
* social
* subnormal
* temporal
* terminal
* total
* transversal
* trivial
* umbilical
* umbral
* universal
* usual
* vaginal
* visual
* vertical
* vocal
* zodiacal
* 1 2 False friends

#### Words with an -ar ending

* altar
* articular
* auricular
* auxiliar
* circular
* cultivar
* insular
* irregular
* lar
* lunar
* nuclear
* ocular
* peculiar
* perpendicular
* polar
* pulsar
* popular
* rectangular
* regular
* similar
* singular
* solar
* tabular
* talar
* uvular
* vallar
* valvular
* vascular
* vulgar

#### Words with an -el ending

* cartel
* pastel
* 1 2 False friends
* ↑ In some Spanish-speaking countries, cartel may alternately be spelled cártel.

#### Words with an -er ending

* defender
* deponer
* emerger
* mover
* pretender
* primer
* remover
* resolver
* responder
* revolver
* suspender
* tender
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 False friends

#### Words with an -ible ending

* audible
* combustible(s)
* comestible(s)
* compatible
* destructible
* flexible
* fusible
* horrible
* incompatible
* incombustible(s)
* indestructible
* inflexible
* intangible(s)
* irresistible
* irreversible
* ostensible
* reversible
* sensible
* tangible
* terrible
* 1 2 False friends

#### Words with an -o ending

* canto
* credo(s)
* euro(s)
* folio(s)
* gusto
* halo
* primo
* radio(s)
* solo(s)
* tornado(s)
* veto(s)
* video(s)
* 1 2 3 False friends
* ↑ Originally Greek

#### Words with an -or ending

All of the following words are adjectives and/or nouns.
* actor
* auditor
* candor
* clamor
* conductor
* doctor
* exterior
* factor
* favor
* furor
* honor
* horror
* humor
* inferior
* interior
* interlocutor
* labor
* labrador
* mayor
* monitor
* motor
* pastor
* posterior
* reactor
* rector
* rumor
* sector
* superior
* supervisor
* terror
* vigor
* 1 2 3 In English, also functions as an intransitive verb
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 In English, also functions as either an intransitive or transitive verb
* 1 2 False friends

### Māori cognates

* kiwi(s)
* ↑ Entered Spanish via English

### Nahuatl cognates

* avocado(s)
* chocolate(s)
* coyote(s)
* guacamole(s)
* peyote(s)
* quetzal
* tamales

### Proto-Indo-European cognates

* me
* no
* gripe(s)
* ↑ In Spanish, gripe ("the flu") is a loanword from French (grippe). The English word grip also comes from grippe. All of these words have the same Proto-Indo-European origin as a verb that means "to grab" or "to grasp".

### Quechua cognates

* guano(s)
* poncho(s)
* pisco(s)
* ↑ Entered English via Spanish
* ↑ Or possibly from the Mapuche language
* ↑ Entered English via Spanish

### Russian cognates

* vodka(s)

### Sinhalese cognates

* anaconda(s)

### Taíno cognates

* iguana(s)
* ↑ Spanish corruption of the Taíno word iwana, which entered Spanish via English.

### Tamil cognates

* mango(s)
* ↑ Mango is a multi-generational corruption from Tamil that entered English via the Portuguese word manga.

### Tupi cognates

* jaguar
* tapioca

### Turkish cognates

* fez

### Wolof cognates

* banana(s)

## False cognates

Although the words in this section are written identically in English and Spanish, they have different meanings in each language, and they are not cognates.
* a
* afear
* alas
* aliases
* as
* auditoria
* ave
* barred
* batiste
* bote
* calla
* can(es)
* case
* cola(s)
* coma(s)
* come(s)
* con
* da(s)
* dad
* dais
* dan
* den
* dice(s)
* dime(s)
* dinos
* do(s)
* doled
* done
* dude(s)
* ex(es)
* fresco(s)
* gala(s)
* gane
* gen
* gran(es)
* grape(s)
* ha(s)
* hay
* he
* id
* ingle(s)
* intended
* la(s)
* lamer
* lave(s)
* lea(s)
* lean
* lee(s)
* leed
* leer
* leo
* liar
* lote(s)
* manga(s)
* mar(es)
* mate(s)
* maya
* mayo(s)
* mead
* meter
* mole(s)
* mote(s)
* once
* pacer
* pagan
* pan(es)
* papa(s)
* par(es)
* pedo(s)
* pee(s)
* peed
* peen
* peer
* pica(s)
* pie(s)
* pillar
* pita(s)
* placer
* playa(s)
* publican
* quince
* quite
* rape(s)
* red(es)
* remate(s)
* replicase(s)
* robe(s)
* romped
* romper
* saber
* sable(s)
* salve(s)
* sauce(s)
* sin
* so
* son
* taller
* ten
* tender
* tolled
* toller
* tose(s)
* tosed
* urge(s)
* vale(s)
* van
* viola(s)
* ↑ Possibly from one of the Niger–Congo languages other than Wolof; entered English via either Spanish or Portuguese

## Loanwords

The table below lists English-to-Spanish and Spanish-to-English loanwords, as well as loanwords from other modern languages that share the same orthography in both English and Spanish. In some cases, the common orthography resulted because a word entered the Spanish lexicon via English. These loanwords may retain spelling conventions that are foreign to Spanish (as in whisky). In Spanish, only loanwords use the letters k and w.

### English-to-Spanish loanwords

All of the following loanwords are either nouns or gerunds. Words ending in -ing are gerunds in English and nouns in Spanish.
{{Columns-list|colwidth=14em|
* airbag(s)
* antivirus
* audiovisual
* backup
* banjo(s)
* bit(s)
* byte
* camping
* chat(s)
* chip(s)
* clip(s)
* club(s)
* collie
* convoy
* doping
* email(s)
* gag(s)
* gene(s)
* hangar
* iceberg
* input(s)
* jersey
* jumbo
* magnate(s)
* modem
* motocross
* multimedia
* parking
* picnic(s)
* polo(s)
* pop
* pub(s)
* punk(s)
* radar
* rail
* rally
* rifle(s)
* ring
* robot(s)
* rock
* rugby
* shock(s)
* shorts
* show(s)
* software
* sprint(s)
* surf
* test(s)
* unisex
* whisky
* windsurfing
* yuppie
* ↑ Applies only to the music genre sense of the word.

### Spanish-to-English loanwords

Although the meanings of the following loanwords overlap, most of them have different senses and/or shades of meaning in Spanish and English. Generally, loanwords have more diverse and nuanced meanings in the originating language than they do in the adopting language.
* armada(s)
* armadillo(s)
* arroyo(s)
* ayuntamiento(s)
* azulejo(s)
* bajada(s)
* balsa(s)
* banda
* banderilla(s)
* burro(s)
* caballero(s)
* cacao
* coca
* cria(s)
* esparto(s)
* guerrilla(s)
* hacienda(s)
* hammock(s)
* hidalgo(s)
* hombre(s)
* jalapeño(s)
* machete(s)
* macho
* mantilla(s)
* manzanilla
* maraca(s)
* margarita(s)
* marina(s)
* masa
* matador
* menudo(s)
* mestizo(s)
* mosquito(s)
* mulato(s)
* nacho(s)
* nada
* negro
* padre(s)
* paella(s)
* patio(s)
* peluca
* peseta(s)
* peso(s)
* picador
* pimiento(s)
* pinto
* piñata(s)
* plaza(s)
* pronto
* pueblo(s)
* rodeo(s)
* rumba
* salsa(s)
* suave
* taco(s)
* tango(s)
* tapa(s)
* tequila(s)
* ↑ Spanish word hamaca comes from Taino "hamaka".
* ↑ In Spanish, mosca means "fly"; mosquito literally means "little fly".

### Loanwords from other languages

The following loanwords occur in both Modern English and Modern Spanish, but originated in another language. Several of the words entered the Spanish language via English.

#### From Finnish

* sauna(s)

#### From French

* autoclave(s)
* ballet(s)
* canapé
* postal
* taxi(s)
* ↑ In French, taxi is an abbreviation of taximètre (taximeter).

#### From Italian

* adagio(s)
* aria(s)
* mafia(s)
* pizza(s)
* ravioli(s)

#### From Quechua

* llama(s)
* puma(s)
* ↑ Entered English via Spanish
* ↑ Entered English via Spanish

#### From Swahili

* safari(s)

#### From Zulu

* impala(s)