False Friends for English Speakers
Swedish words that look English but mean something else.
Fifty ambushes, arranged as duels: each Swedish word next to the English word it impersonates — gift/married, semester/holiday, glass/ice cream, offer/victim. The deck's method: meet the trap and its resolution together, laugh once, never fall again. The star exhibits: fart, slut, and the smoking you can wear.
- 1
en present
a gift (present)
Tip: Beware: Swedish 'gift' means married — or poison.
- 2
gift
married
Tip: Beware: 'gift' also means poison — context decides.
- 3
fart
a fart (speed)
Tip: Beware: Swedish 'fart' means speed.
- 4
slut
a slut (end)
Tip: Beware: Swedish 'slut' means end or finished.
- 5
en smoking
a smoking (jacket)
Tip: Beware: Swedish 'smoking' means a dinner jacket.
- 6
en prick
a prick (dot)
Tip: Beware: 'prick' in Swedish is a dot or a black mark.
- 7
ett fan
a fan (admirer)
Tip: Beware: 'fan' alone is also a mild swearword.
- 8
en behå
a bra (garment)
Tip: Beware: Swedish 'bra' means good.
- 9
bra
good
Tip: Beware: looks like English 'bra'.
- 10
en rock
a coat
Tip: Beware: looks like English 'rock'.
- 11
en hatt
a hat
Tip: Beware: 'hat' in Swedish means hatred.
- 12
hat
hatred
Tip: Beware: looks like English 'hat'.
- 13
en by
a village
Tip: Beware: Swedish 'by' is a village, not the preposition.
- 14
ett rum
a room
Tip: Beware: 'rum' is not the drink; that's 'rom'.
- 15
en lada
a barn (building)
Tip: Beware: Swedish 'barn' means child.
- 16
ett barn
a child
Tip: Beware: looks like English 'barn'.
- 17
ett glas
a glass (drinking)
Tip: Beware: 'glass' in Swedish means ice cream.
- 18
glass
ice cream
Tip: Beware: looks like English 'glass'.
- 19
en termin
a semester (term)
Tip: Beware: Swedish 'semester' means holiday.
- 20
semester
a holiday
Tip: Beware: looks like English 'semester'.
- 21
en roman
a novel
Tip: Beware: 'novell' in Swedish is a short story.
- 22
en novell
a short story
Tip: Beware: looks like English 'novel'.
- 23
till slut
eventually
Tip: Beware: Swedish 'eventuellt' means possibly.
- 24
eventuellt
possibly
Tip: Beware: looks like English 'eventually'.
- 25
faktiskt
actually
Tip: Beware: Swedish 'aktuell' means current.
- 26
aktuell
current
Tip: Beware: looks like English 'actual'.
- 27
förnuftig
sensible
Tip: Beware: 'sensibel' in Swedish means sensitive.
- 28
känslig
sensitive
Tip: Beware: 'sensibel' exists but is rarer.
- 29
styra
to control
Tip: Beware: 'kontrollera' means to check.
- 30
kontrollera
to check
Tip: Beware: looks like English 'control'.
- 31
skylla på
to blame
Tip: Beware: 'blamera sig' means to embarrass oneself.
- 32
en kock
a chef (cook)
Tip: Beware: Swedish 'chef' means boss.
- 33
en chef
a boss
Tip: Beware: looks like English 'chef'.
- 34
ett tyg
a fabric
Tip: Beware: 'fabrik' means factory.
- 35
en fabrik
a factory
Tip: Beware: looks like English 'fabric'.
- 36
en tidskrift
a magazine
Tip: Beware: 'magasin' is a warehouse or store.
- 37
ett magasin
a warehouse
Tip: Beware: looks like English 'magazine'.
- 38
be
to pray
Tip: Beware: 'preja' means to force off the road.
- 39
en kupol
a dome
Tip: Beware: 'dom' means a verdict or cathedral.
- 40
en dom
a verdict
Tip: Beware: looks like English 'dome'.
- 41
ett erbjudande
an offer
Tip: Beware: 'offer' in Swedish means victim or sacrifice.
- 42
ett offer
a victim
Tip: Beware: looks like English 'offer'.
- 43
ett ankare
an anchor
Tip: Beware: 'anka' means duck.
- 44
en anka
a duck
Tip: Beware: close to 'anchor'.
- 45
en räkning
a bill (invoice)
Tip: Beware: 'bil' means car.
- 46
en bil
a car
Tip: Beware: looks like English 'bill'.
- 47
en sten
a rock (stone)
Tip: Beware: Swedish 'rock' means a coat.
- 48
en stol
a chair
Tip: Beware: 'stol' is a chair — nothing to do with stolen.
- 49
bark
a bark (of a tree)
Tip: Beware: a dog's bark is 'skall'.
- 50
en kyss
a kiss
Tip: Beware: Swedish 'kiss' means wee.