25 Spanish Cognates for the Classroom

How many times have you heard a student express, “I don’t remember anything!” or “It’s too hard.” Those phrases at the start of school are usually an exaggeration but there’s truth to those words. Whether students are diving into Spanish after a long summer break or taking it on for the first time, they’re feeling nervous.

So, why not make the transition easier for them?

The way to do that is simple: use lots and lots of cognates! Cognates are words in two different languages that are similar in meaning, spelling, or pronunciation. As you might realize, this makes them a great tool for helping language learners develop their comprehension and bridge language gaps.

Believe it or not, there are hundreds of Spanish and English cognates, so you have a lot to choose from. We’ve highlighted 25 of our favorite Spanish cognates for you to use in your classroom.

Explore these Spanish and English cognates!

The following vocabulary are cognates that are spelled and pronounced identically or almost, and have the same definition.

The following near-perfect cognates follow the rule for nouns ending in ‘tion’ in English can be converted to Spanish by replacing with a ‘ción’.

The following near-perfect cognates follow the rule for English nouns ending ‘ary’ can be converted to Spanish by replacing with ‘ario’.

The following near-perfect cognates follow the rule for English adjectives ending ‘ic’ can be converted to Spanish by replacing with a ‘ico’.

The following near-perfect cognates follow the rule for English adjectives ending ‘ous’ can be converted to Spanish by replacing with a ‘oso’.

The following near-perfect cognates follow the rule for nouns ending ‘ct’ in English can be converted to Spanish by replacing with a ‘cto’.

And just like that, you’ve easily learned 25 new vocabulary words! Now you have the tools to spark your students’ ability to make connections between English and Spanish. Have a conversation with your class about cognates and challenge them to think of other cognates. See how long your list grows and how many of these new vocabulary words can be used throughout the day. Good luck and remember, have fun!

Check out our full list of cognates below, or download the PDF here.