You Already Know Thousands of Spanish Words!

As an English speaker, you already know thousands of Spanish words without even realising it. These are known as cognates - words in different languages that share the same origin and have similar meanings and spellings. Learn the patterns and unlock your hidden Spanish vocabulary instantly.

2000+

Cognate Words

English words with Spanish equivalents

Major Patterns

Predictable transformation rules

Minutes to Learn

You already know these words!

Cognate Patterns

🎯

-tion → -ción

Words ending in -tion in English become -ción in Spanish

500+ words follow this pattern

📝 Note: These words are almost always feminine (la nación, la información)

English:

nation

Spanish:

nación

English:

action

Spanish:

acción

English:

information

Spanish:

información

English:

education

Spanish:

educación

English:

station

Spanish:

estación

English:

attention

Spanish:

atención

English:

solution

Spanish:

solución

English:

revolution

Spanish:

revolución

English:

tradition

Spanish:

tradición

English:

emotion

Spanish:

emoción

English:

protection

Spanish:

protección

English:

population

Spanish:

población

English:

direction

Spanish:

dirección

English:

creation

Spanish:

creación

English:

situation

Spanish:

situación

English:

operation

Spanish:

operación

English:

celebration

Spanish:

celebración

English:

conversation

Spanish:

conversación

English:

communication

Spanish:

comunicación

English:

cooperation

Spanish:

cooperación

English:

decoration

Spanish:

decoración

English:

destination

Spanish:

destinación

English:

determination

Spanish:

determinación

English:

discussion

Spanish:

discusión

English:

exhibition

Spanish:

exhibición

English:

exploration

Spanish:

exploración

English:

explanation

Spanish:

explicación

English:

generation

Spanish:

generación

English:

imagination

Spanish:

imaginación

English:

invitation

Spanish:

invitación

English:

nutrition

Spanish:

nutrición

English:

organization

Spanish:

organización

English:

position

Spanish:

posición

English:

relation

Spanish:

relación

English:

reservation

Spanish:

reservación

💡 Tips for Using Cognates

✅

Start with what you know: When speaking or writing, think of the English word first, then apply the pattern transformation. This builds confidence quickly.

✅

Watch for false friends: Not every similar word is a cognate. "Embarazada" means "pregnant" not "embarrassed", and "actual" means "current" not "actual".

✅

Mind the gender: Most -ción, -dad, and -tad words are feminine. Most -ismo words are masculine. Learning these patterns helps with articles (el/la).

✅

Check pronunciation: While the spelling is similar, pronunciation can differ significantly. Use the audio buttons to hear correct Spanish pronunciation.

✅

Combine patterns: Many words use multiple patterns. For example, "internationally" becomes "internacionalmente" using both the -al and -ly patterns.

💡 What Are Cognates?

Cognates are words in different languages that share the same origin and have similar meanings and spellings. Spanish and English share thousands of cognates because both languages borrowed heavily from Latin.

The best part? These patterns are highly predictable. Once you learn the rules, you can instantly recognise and use thousands of Spanish words without memorisation.