Identical Words in Dutch and English:
Pronunciation Exercise - Smartphones Page
The idea behind this exercise is that when you know English, you'll
almost automatically pronounce these words in the English way
- but that is rarely correct for the Dutch words. From the words in
these lists you'll quickly see and hear the differences in Dutch and
English pronunciation, and they can help you understand the (mostly
phonetic) Dutch spelling.
I hope the 'False Friends' section will be somewhat entertaining.
Learn Dutch Pronunciation Pronunciation Reference Page Spelling and Pronunciation Rules
See also the note at the bottom of the page about
Dutch sounds
underrepresented on this page.
False Friends: Identical Dutch and
English Words of Different Meaning
An - a girls' name
Ad - a boys' name Age- a Frisian boys' name
(de) arm - 1. arm (body part) 2. poor
(de) arts 2- Medical Doctor
(de) as - 1. ashes 2. axle, axis
at 2
(ik at 2- I ate, I was eating)
(het) bad - bath
(ik bad - I was praying)
(de) baker (obsolete) - nanny
(de) balk - a beam (wood)
(de) band - 1. tire, tube 2. bond, tie, tape
bang - afraid, scared
(de) bank - 1. money services 2. bench
[(de)] bar 2- 1. drinks place 2. harsh, bleak
(het) been - leg
beef 2
(ik beef 2- I tremble)
(de) beer - bear
(de) beet - 1. bite 2. gotcha!
belt 2
(hij belt 2- he is on the phone)
bent
2
(jij bent 2- (you) are)
(het) bevel - order, command
bid 2
(ik bid - I pray, I am praying)
(de) big - pig
blank 2- white (pink) skin
(de) bond 2union, association, federation
(de) boom 2- tree
(de) boon - bean
boos - angry
(de) boot - boat
boots 2
(ik boots na 2- I imitate, mimic)
bots 23
(ik bots 2I collide, crash into)
(de) bout - 1. leg meat 2. bolt for nut
(de) brand - fire
(de) branding
2- breakers, waves on a beach
brave 2- well-behaved, harmless
breed - wide, broad
(de) brief 2- letter (mail)
(de) brink - village square
(het) brood 2- bread
chef (French)2- department head
Co - a boys' name
(het) college French G)- 1. university class 2. council
concrete 2- physical, solid, real (not talk)
(de) concurrent 2- business competitor
(de) crèche (French)- children's daycare center
(de) damp 2- vapor
(de) dank - thanks
deed
(ik deed - I did)
[(de)] den - 1. pine tree 2. old-fashioned 'the'
die - that, those->>
(het) diner (French)- festive evening meal
(het) ding - thing
direct 2- immediately; straightaway
divers 2- varied
doe
(ik doe - I do)
door - 1. through 2. by->>
dove 2- a deaf person
dozen 2- boxes
(het) drab 2- thick, murky liquid
(de) drank - beverage; liquor
driest - bold, reckless
(het) drop - liquorice (the black candy)
(de) douche (French)- shower
dun - thin, skinny
elders - elsewhere, in another place
elk - each, every
(het) email (French)- enamel / English: email
even 2- 1. just a moment 2. even numbers->>
(de) fat - a dandy
(de) fee - a fairy
Ferry - a boys' name
(de) file - traffic jam
(de) fitting
2- lightbulb socket
Flip - a boys' name
Floor - a girls' name
(de) folder - brochure
(de) fret - partition on string instrument neck
Greet - a girls' name
(de) gal - gall
(de) gang - corridor, hallway
[(de)] gave 2- 1. gift 2. whole, undamaged
(gaaf/ gave 2)
gene (obsolete) - 'those yonder'
gilt 2
(zij gilt 2- she shrieks)
(de) gist - yeast
gold 2
('t gold 2- ~it counted as)
glad - 1. slippery 2. smooth
(het) grind - gravel, pebbles
grove
(grof/grove )
coarse
(de) gulp - fly, pants zipper
(het) gum - eraser
gun
(ik gun 2- I grant)
(de) guts - a woodcarving tool
(het) gymnasium secondary school with Latin
hard - 1. not soft 2. fast, not slow
(de) hark - 1. rake (garden) 2. a clumsy male
Harm - a boys' name
(de) have (obsolete) - (moveable) property
(de) haven - port, harbor
heel 2- 1. whole 2. very
(de) held - hero
(de) helm - helmet
hem - him
hoe - how?
(de) honing 2- honey
(de) hoop 2- 1. hope 2. heap, load
jammer 2- it's a pity
Joke - a girls' name
kale
(kaal/kale 2)
- bald
(de) keel - throat
(de) kin 2- chin
(het) kind 2- child
kinds 2- senile
(de) knot - skein, ball (of wool)
lag 2
(ik lag 23- I was lying down)
lager - lower
[(het)] lam - 1. lamb 2. lame, paralyzed
late
(laat/late 2)
- late (not early)
(de) last - burden
(de) lap - a piece of fabric
(de) leek - layman
('t leek 2- it looked like)
(het/de) leer 2- 1. leather 2. teachings
leg
(ik leg - I lay down)
[(de)] lessen 2- 1. lessons 2. to slake
(2. dorst lessen 2- to slake thirst)
let
(let op! 2- pay
attention!)
(de) letter 2- alphabet character
(de) lever - liver
(de) libel 23- dragonfly
(het) lid 2 - member
(het) lied - song
Lies - a girls' name
(de) lies - groin, where the leg joins the body
link 2(slang) - dangerous
links - left (not right)
(het) lint 2- ceremonial tape
(de) list 2- ruse, trick
log - hard to move, not nimble
logger 2- harder to move
(de) long - lung
loom 2- slow, languid
(de) loop 2- 1. gunbarrel 2. course
(ik loop - I walk)
(de) loot - new, young branch
Lot 2- a girls' name
(het) lot 2- 1. a lottery ticket 2. fate
(het) lover (obsolete) - leaves, foliage
(de) machinist (French)2- engineer, engine driver
(de) made - maggot
(de) man 2- 1. adult male human 2. husband
(de) map - holder for papers, folder
(de) mare 2(old-fashioned) - report; rumor; story, legend
(de) marine
- the navy
(de) mate 2- 1. mate van
- level of, degree
(de) mate 2- 2. met mate - in moderation
meet
(ik meet - I take measurements)
men - an informal 'they'
(het) messing 2- brass (copper/zinc)
met - with
Mien 23- a girls' name
milt 23- spleen (organ)
minder - less, fewer
(de) minister 2- cabinet minister, secretary
(de) mode - fashion
molt 2
(hij molt
2- he breaks, destroys)
(de) moot - a fish steak
(de) mop 2- a joke
(de/het) mud 2(obsolete) - 100 liters measure
(de) mug - mosquito
(het) multiplex 2- laminated board (>3 layers)
(de) nap (obsolete) - small wooden bowl
(de) nor (slang) - prison
(het) nut - usefulness, use
(de) occasion 2- secondhand car for sale
of - or->>
(het) offer 2- sacrifice
(de) order - order (buying / command)
(het) pad 2- 1. path 2. toad
(de) page (French)- a knight's servant
pal - (standing) firm
(de) paring 2- 1. mating 2. pairing
past 2
('t past - it fits)
paste 2
(het paste - it fit - past tense)
(het) pat - stalemate (chess)
(de) peer 23- pear
(de) pees 2- tendon
(de) penning 2- medal, coin
(de) pens 2- 1. tripe 2. paunch
(het) pension - boarding house
[(de)] pet 2- 1. baseball cap 2. rotten, not good
(de) pink - little finger, 'pinky'
(de) pit 2- 1. small fruit seed 2. human energy
(de) plant - living plant
(de) poet 2- loot, criminal gain (slang)
(de) poets 21. practical joke, trick
2. ik poets 2- I am polishing, shining
(het) pond - 500 grams, ~ pound
(de) pool - pole (North, South)
(de) pop 2- doll
(de) port - Portuguese sweet, strong wine
prompt
- responding quickly
(de) pummel - ill-mannered young man
(de) put 2- well, waterhole
(het) rag - spiderweb material, also: (het) spinrag
2
(de) rage French G)- craze, fad
(de) ramp - disaster
(de) rang 2- rank in hierarchy
[(de)] rank 2- 1. slender
2. tendril, vine
rap (obsolete) - quickly
(het) rapport 2- official report; grades sheet
rare
(raar/rare 2)
- strange, weird, odd
(de) raven 2- ravens
red 2
(ik red 2- I rescue, save)
reed
(ik reed 2- I rode, I drove)
rein 2- pure, clean (old-fashioned)
(de) rest 2- remainder, remnant
(de) ring 2- ring (on finger)
rode
(rood / rode )
- red
(de) roe 2- (bundle of twigs, for punishment)
(de) romp 2- trunk, body w/o head, arms and legs
(de) roof 2- robbery, theft
(de) rook - smoke
(de) room - cream
(het) rooster 2- 1. grate 2. schedule, roster
(de) rover - robber, mugger
(de) rug - back (body part)
(de) rust 2- rest, a time of quiet
(de) sinus - sine (trigoniometry)
sip 2- glum, unhappy
(de) sister 2- medieval string instrument
(de) slab 2- bib
(de) slag - blow; battle
(de) slang 2- 1. snake 2. hose
slap - weak
sleep 2
(ik sleep - I drag, I tow)
sleet 2
(ik sleet
2- ~I spent my time)
slim - bright, intelligent
slimmer 2- more clever
slinks 2- devious, cunning, secretly
(de) sloop 2- 1. pillowcase 2. wrecking, e.g. cars
(het) slot 2- 1. lock 2. end 3. castle
smart 2(obsolete) - pain, hurt
snap 23
(ik snap 't
23- I understand [it]) (de) spanning
23tension (both physical and psychological)
(de) spies skewer, metal pin for roasting
(de) spin - spider
(het) spook 2- ghost
(de) spot 2- ridicule, derision
spring
(ik spring 2- I jump)
(het) stadium 2- stage, phase
(de) stage (French G)- internship
(de) staking 2- strike, work stoppage
(de) stand - setting
star - rigid, inflexible
(de) steel 2- 1. large tools stick 2. stem (plants)
(de) stem - 1. voice 2. vote
(de) step 2- children's scooter
[(de)] stomp 2- 1. not sharp 2. punch, hit 3. stub
(de) storing 2- interruption
(de) storm 2- high winds, gale
stout - naughty
(het) strand - beach
(de) student - college & university student only
(de) taken - tasks
(de) talk - baby powder
(de) tang 2- pliers
(de) teen - toe
ten (old-fashioned) - 'at'
(de) thee - tea
tilde 23
(hij tilde 23- he lifted)
(het) tin - tin (the metal, Sn)
Tine - a girls' name
(de) tip - suggestion
toe 2- 1. come on! 2 ~direction
Ton - a boys' name
tot - till
(de) trap - stairs
(de) tree - stairs step
(de) trek 2- 1. hunger, an appetite 2. epic journey
(ik trek 2- I pull, I drag)
(de) trilling 2- vibration, trembling
(de) trots 2- pride; proud
(de) tube 2- (toothpaste etc.) container
(de) turf - peat
turn 2
(ik turn 2- type of gymnastics)
(de) twist - quarrel
vale - discolored, faded
van - of->>
vast - fast, firmly connected, not loose
(de) veer - 1. spring (tensile) 2. feather 3. ferry
(de) veiling - auction
(de) vent - a guy, a bloke (somewhat unfavorable)
verse 2
(vers/verse 23)
- fresh
(het) vest 'cardigan, fleece jacket'
[(het)] vet - 1. fat, grease 2. fat, greasy
vies - dirty, not clean; bad-tasting
violet - 1. a flower 2. blue purple
(de) wand - wall (of a room)
[(de)] want 2- 1. mitt 2. for, because
war
(in de war - confused)
[(de)] was - 1. laundry 2. wax
(ik was - 1. I was 2. I'm washing/doing laundry)
waste
(ik waste - 1. I washed up 2. I was doing laundry)
[(de)] wee - 1. contraction (birth) 2. woe to ...
went 2
('t went 2- you get used to it)
(de) wet - law
(de) wig 2- wedge
wit 2- white
(het) wonder - miracle
word 2 (ik word
2- I become, I am being)
->>
(de) worst - sausage
(de) zoom 23- hem, finished fabric edge
Find the Dutch translation of the English words on the full
False Friends Page
Master Lists of Common Dutch Words
- with pronunciation and links to
explanation, examples of usage, pictures and/or related words:
Dutch to English
- English to Dutch