False friends are often wrongly called false cognates. These are very different things.
For example, 'to molest' is a false friend of Spanish 'molestar' (to annoy) but they are true cognates, both coming from Latin 'molestāre' (to bother).
Four graphics, all about false friends and false cognates:
For example, 'to molest' is a false friend of Spanish 'molestar' (to annoy) but they are true cognates, both coming from Latin 'molestāre' (to bother).
Four graphics, all about false friends and false cognates:
September 14, 2025 at 3:59 PM
False friends are often wrongly called false cognates. These are very different things.
For example, 'to molest' is a false friend of Spanish 'molestar' (to annoy) but they are true cognates, both coming from Latin 'molestāre' (to bother).
Four graphics, all about false friends and false cognates:
For example, 'to molest' is a false friend of Spanish 'molestar' (to annoy) but they are true cognates, both coming from Latin 'molestāre' (to bother).
Four graphics, all about false friends and false cognates:
who up tracing they cognates
March 2, 2025 at 3:34 AM
who up tracing they cognates
'Niece' and 'nephew' aren't the original English words.
They were borrowed from French and supplanted native 'nift' and 'neve', direct cognates of German 'Nichte' and 'Neffe'.
The French words have the same Proto-Indo-European ancestors so they're cognates too, but very distant ones. Here's more:
They were borrowed from French and supplanted native 'nift' and 'neve', direct cognates of German 'Nichte' and 'Neffe'.
The French words have the same Proto-Indo-European ancestors so they're cognates too, but very distant ones. Here's more:
January 26, 2025 at 9:32 AM
'Niece' and 'nephew' aren't the original English words.
They were borrowed from French and supplanted native 'nift' and 'neve', direct cognates of German 'Nichte' and 'Neffe'.
The French words have the same Proto-Indo-European ancestors so they're cognates too, but very distant ones. Here's more:
They were borrowed from French and supplanted native 'nift' and 'neve', direct cognates of German 'Nichte' and 'Neffe'.
The French words have the same Proto-Indo-European ancestors so they're cognates too, but very distant ones. Here's more:
What's the origin of 'soul'?
No living soul knows.
The Germanic ancestor of 'soul' can be reconstructed, but attempts to reconstruct its further origin or find cognates have only been speculative.
My new graphic sums up these theories and shows the cognates of 'soul' in the sister languages:
No living soul knows.
The Germanic ancestor of 'soul' can be reconstructed, but attempts to reconstruct its further origin or find cognates have only been speculative.
My new graphic sums up these theories and shows the cognates of 'soul' in the sister languages:
August 15, 2025 at 7:04 PM
What's the origin of 'soul'?
No living soul knows.
The Germanic ancestor of 'soul' can be reconstructed, but attempts to reconstruct its further origin or find cognates have only been speculative.
My new graphic sums up these theories and shows the cognates of 'soul' in the sister languages:
No living soul knows.
The Germanic ancestor of 'soul' can be reconstructed, but attempts to reconstruct its further origin or find cognates have only been speculative.
My new graphic sums up these theories and shows the cognates of 'soul' in the sister languages:
![screenshot of a tumblr post that reads
english speakers on the internet recognising cognates in a romance language: wow this transcends language
english speakers on the internet recognising cognates in a germanic language: this language cannot be real
english speakers on the internet recognising cognates in an english based creole or pidgin: [racism]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ht4fn6z4tl6b6fjnhx56t3py/bafkreifk6khrkfeli6toqbwa24c2n4satelkpgymeypa7hheribx3vdmre)
English speakers finding cognates in Romance languages: "This transcends language. This speaks to the innate human desire to be understood. Borders only exist in our imaginations"
English speakers finding cognates in Germanic languages: "The Dutch are subhuman"
English speakers finding cognates in Germanic languages: "The Dutch are subhuman"
November 20, 2025 at 9:09 PM
English speakers finding cognates in Romance languages: "This transcends language. This speaks to the innate human desire to be understood. Borders only exist in our imaginations"
English speakers finding cognates in Germanic languages: "The Dutch are subhuman"
English speakers finding cognates in Germanic languages: "The Dutch are subhuman"
Akkadian qaqqaru "ground", in turn, has probable cognates across Berber: e.g. Kabyle i-ɣəṛɣəṛ "floor", Tamasheq e-ɣărɣăr "regg, large flat area"
Chameleon, from the Greek χαμαί ‘on the earth’ and λέων ‘lion’, was calqued from Akkadian nēš(u ša) qaqqari lit. ‘lion of the ground’, a figure attested in the Epic of Gilgamesh (line 314 ᴜʀ.ᴍᴀʜ šá qaq‐qa‐ri). The term is paralleled in lexical tablets from Ebla (ca. 2300 BCE) as na‐iš qar‐qá‐rí‐m.
September 30, 2026 at 6:22 AM
Akkadian qaqqaru "ground", in turn, has probable cognates across Berber: e.g. Kabyle i-ɣəṛɣəṛ "floor", Tamasheq e-ɣărɣăr "regg, large flat area"
Sweden, Denmark Norway: "Jul"
Finland: "Joul"
Estonia: "Jõul".
And all pre-christian cognates of the pre-christian British Isles' "Yule"
Finland: "Joul"
Estonia: "Jõul".
And all pre-christian cognates of the pre-christian British Isles' "Yule"
One of the big ways you can tell Christmas isn’t a secular holiday for all religions is that it’s called Christmas
December 18, 2024 at 7:50 PM
Sweden, Denmark Norway: "Jul"
Finland: "Joul"
Estonia: "Jõul".
And all pre-christian cognates of the pre-christian British Isles' "Yule"
Finland: "Joul"
Estonia: "Jõul".
And all pre-christian cognates of the pre-christian British Isles' "Yule"
In case anyone's interested, I made a video about what cognates are youtu.be/2uoSei5YLFE?...
What are cognates?
YouTube video by Gareth Roberts
youtu.be
January 1, 2025 at 7:07 PM
In case anyone's interested, I made a video about what cognates are youtu.be/2uoSei5YLFE?...
cognates are a kind of sister
April 7, 2026 at 2:17 AM
cognates are a kind of sister
cognates everywhere for those with eyes to see
February 15, 2025 at 3:35 AM
cognates everywhere for those with eyes to see
The Greek word "μυστήριον" and the Hebrew word "מוסטר" are clear cognates
🧵 I'd like to summarize Jeremiah's errors visually, since his constant arguing muddied the waters.
1. He claimed that since the sound of ס /s/ and צ /sˤ/ are similar, they're interchangeable. As any student of Biblical Hebrew knows, this is colossally incorrect.
1. He claimed that since the sound of ס /s/ and צ /sˤ/ are similar, they're interchangeable. As any student of Biblical Hebrew knows, this is colossally incorrect.
September 30, 2026 at 3:20 AM
The Greek word "μυστήριον" and the Hebrew word "מוסטר" are clear cognates
glamour, grammar, and grimoire are all cognates
December 27, 2024 at 11:37 PM
glamour, grammar, and grimoire are all cognates
mfs be like "this LITERALLY transcends language barriers" and it's just cognates
March 4, 2026 at 12:17 AM
mfs be like "this LITERALLY transcends language barriers" and it's just cognates
champagne for my real friends, real pain for my sham cognates
February 1, 2026 at 1:34 AM
champagne for my real friends, real pain for my sham cognates
Hoy en UNEXPECTED COGNATES:
Funky y humo.
Funky y humo.
July 5, 2026 at 7:53 AM
Hoy en UNEXPECTED COGNATES:
Funky y humo.
Funky y humo.
false cognates are so fun but i worry about confusing them since a lot of false cognates are adverbs which we haven't covered
October 1, 2026 at 5:42 PM
false cognates are so fun but i worry about confusing them since a lot of false cognates are adverbs which we haven't covered
the cognates to both of these are quite common in Dutch; 'overmorgen' and 'eergisteren'
March 1, 2025 at 5:43 PM
the cognates to both of these are quite common in Dutch; 'overmorgen' and 'eergisteren'
Cool that Persian خشم khashm "wrath" and English ire are cognates, both going back to Proto-Indo-European *h₁eysh₂-
June 24, 2026 at 3:17 PM
Cool that Persian خشم khashm "wrath" and English ire are cognates, both going back to Proto-Indo-European *h₁eysh₂-
did you know the "cob" in "corncob" and the "cob" in "cobweb" are cognates
November 15, 2024 at 8:36 PM
did you know the "cob" in "corncob" and the "cob" in "cobweb" are cognates
Anglophones on the internet can really be a handful sometimes:
![english speakers on the internet recognizing cognates in a romance language: wow this transcends language
english speakers on the internet recognizing cognates in a germanic language: this language cannot be real
english speakers on the internet recognizing cognates in an english-based creole or pidgin: [racism]
Taken from: https://hbmmaster.tumblr.com/post/753564673680588800/english-speakers-on-the-internet-recognizing](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:acb5234expclcy6leg3fqofd/bafkreie5mjy52ty7vlawdj7ix2b447szzpuip7mi3epsbsbkzb4egemgp4)
August 26, 2025 at 7:51 AM
Anglophones on the internet can really be a handful sometimes:
'yaoi' and 'yuri' are cognates and come from proto-gay *yołi
February 25, 2025 at 3:32 PM
'yaoi' and 'yuri' are cognates and come from proto-gay *yołi
I have seen the memes they share. The Arabic "loans" in Hebrew are almost all ancient cognates. I remember one such list beginning with חרש = ح ر ث
October 16, 2025 at 1:23 AM
I have seen the memes they share. The Arabic "loans" in Hebrew are almost all ancient cognates. I remember one such list beginning with חרש = ح ر ث
I tried to design this infographic mapping out cognates of "wind" across the Indo-European family!
#linguistics
#linguistics
June 15, 2026 at 3:11 PM
I tried to design this infographic mapping out cognates of "wind" across the Indo-European family!
#linguistics
#linguistics
"glamour" and "grimoire" are cognates, which is why Glamour magazine is so esoterically potent
December 2, 2023 at 8:51 PM
"glamour" and "grimoire" are cognates, which is why Glamour magazine is so esoterically potent