Take our Cognate Quiz!

Language learners are forever haunted by the infamous incorrect cognate and faux friend when translating or even just learning. But can you guess the odd one out from these strikingly different languages. Within each row are 6 words, one of which has a completely different meaning to the rest – any ideas?

 

 

Azerbaijani

Basque

Danish

Hungarian

Icelandic

Latvian

1

Kalkulyator

kalkulagailua

lommeregner

számológép

reiknivél

paldies

2

ağac

trig

træ

fa

tré

koks

3

ling

hizkuntza

sprog

nyelv

tungumál

valoda

4

küçə

kalean

strand

utca

götu

iela

5

İngiltərə

England

England

Anglia

Enska

Anglija

6

dəniz

itsasoa

havet

sussa

sjó

jūra

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Answers

 

1)      They all mean calculator apart from the Latvian which means thank you

2)      They all mean tree apart from the Basque which means wheat

3)      They all mean language apart from the Azerbaijani which means lever

4)      They all mean street apart from the Danish which means beach

5)      They all mean England apart from the Icelandic which means English

6)      They all mean Sea apart from the Hungarian which means bake