Meaning & use

cognates

noun·Academic

Last updated

Words in different languages that share a common linguistic origin and often have similar spelling or meaning.

See it in a sentence

English "night" and German "Nacht" are cognates.

Spanish and Italian share many cognates, which makes learning one easier after the other.

A note on using this word

Cognates can help language learners, but "false cognates" look similar without sharing meaning or origin.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “cognates”, then compare your use with the examples above.

Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.