There are words in English that are very similar to words in other languages but have different meanings - these are the famous false cognates (false friends).

Confusing the word “wine” with “vine” can be a common mistake for Italian, Portuguese and Spanish speakers, as the words vino, vinho and vino in these languages (respectively) mean wine.

Another factor that may contribute to this error is incorrectly pronouncing the sound of the letter "w" making it a "v" sound. "Vine" refers to a plant that produces grapes.

So whenever you see an English word similar to one in your language, it is good to check the meaning to see if it really is a cognate.

Tell us in the comments which English words have confused you!

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