Why English and Spanish Share Words

English borrows a lot of vocabulary from Latin and French—and so does Spanish. That’s why words related to science, law, education, and everyday life often look and sound familiar.

For example:

• animal – "animal"
• actor – "actor"

These “look-alike” words are everywhere, and they’re incredibly useful for building vocabulary quickly.

Categories Where Cognates Shine

To help you see the patterns, we’ve grouped 100 words into categories. You may be surprised by how many you already recognize!

🏥 Health & Science

• administración – "administration"
• ambulancia – "ambulance"
• bacteria – "bacteria"
• cirugía – "surgery"
• cirujano – "surgeon"
• clínica – "clinic"
• diagnóstico – "diagnosis"
• doctor – "doctor"
• hospital – "hospital"
• inflamación – "inflammation"
• laboratorio – "laboratory"
• medicación – "medication"
• medicina – "medicine"
• paciente – "patient"
• rehabilitación – "rehabilitation"
• síntoma – "symptom"
• terapia – "therapy"
• vacuna – "vaccine"
• virus – "virus"

🎭 Entertainment & Arts

• actor – "actor"
• artista – "artist"
• banda – "band"
• comedia – "comedy"
• documental – "documentary"
• drama – "drama"
• escenario – "stage"
• festival – "festival"
• galería – "gallery"
• ilustración – "illustration"
• literatura – "literature"
• música – "music"
• ópera – "opera"
• poesía – "poetry"
• programa – "program"
• radio – "radio"
• televisión – "television"

📚 Education

• astronomía – "astronomy"
• biología – "biology"
• clase – "class"
• diploma – "diploma"
• escuela – "school"
• estudiante – "student"
• examen – "exam"
• geografía – "geography"
• graduarse – "to graduate"
• historia – "history"
• lección – "lesson"
• matemáticas – "mathematics"
• profesor – "professor"
• seminario – "seminar"
• universidad – "university"

💼 Work & Business

• administración – "administration"
• cliente – "client"
• contrato – "contract"
• corporación – "corporation"
• departamento – "department"
• empleado – "employee"
• industria – "industry"
• marketing – "marketing"
• oficina – "office"
• proyecto – "project"
• publicidad – "advertising"
• reunión – "meeting"
• salario – "salary"
• servicio – "service"

🍔 Food & Drink

• banana – "banana"
• café – "coffee"
• cereales – "cereal"
• chocolate – "chocolate"
• condimento – "condiment"
• fruta – "fruit"
• gastronomía – "gastronomy"
• ingrediente – "ingredient"
• mayonesa – "mayonnaise"
• mostaza – "mustard"
• menú – "menu"
• pasta – "pasta"
• pera – "pear"
• pizza – "pizza"
• restaurante – "restaurant"
• sándwich – "sandwich"
• sopa – "soup"
• taco – "taco"
• té – "tea"
• tomate – "tomato"
• vegano – "vegan"
• vegetariano – "vegetarian"
• vitamina – "vitamin"
• yogur – "yogurt"

🏙️ Travel & Places

• aeropuerto – "airport"
• bicicleta – "bicycle"
• ciudad – "city"
• estación – "station"
• hotel – "hotel"
• mapa – "map"
• museo – "museum"
• pasaporte – "passport"
• taxi – "taxi"
• tren – "train"
• turista – "tourist"

Word of Caution: False Friends

Be careful! Some words may look familiar, but might not mean what you think they do. These are called false cognates or false friends. For example:

• Embarazada doesn't mean "embarrassed," it means "pregnant."
• Asistir doesn't mean "to assist," it means "to attend."
• Ropa doesn't mean "rope," it means "clothes."

While most cognates are helpful, others can be tricky. You should always double-check unfamiliar words!

Final Thoughts

Learning Spanish doesn’t mean starting from scratch. From the classroom to the café, you already know more than you think—and these 100 words prove it. 

As you keep studying, look out for other cognates. You’ll begin to see how much Spanish and English really have in common! And the more you recognize, the easier it gets to build your vocabulary, one familiar word at a time.

You can learn more about false cognates, also known as false friends, with this activity from SpanishDictionary.com.