*časъtime · socials
Time vs honor (SL vs SR/HR)
- Sloveniančas— time
- Serbiančas— honor (archaic/poetic)
Cross-language vocabulary
Slavic False Friends
Slavic languages share so much vocabulary that you can often guess your way through a neighboring language — until a word betrays you. The same word means peace in Polish and room in Czech, a shop in Warsaw and a crypt in Moscow. These are false friends: the words every learner should meet before the words meet them.
⚠️ Tricky
The meanings drifted apart. You'll cause confusion, but nothing worse.
🔶 Dangerous
The meanings clash — you may say the opposite of what you intend.
🛑 Critical
Innocent in one language, vulgar or offensive in another. Learn these first.
Browse the pairs
15 word pairs across 9Slavic languages — search a word, or filter by the languages you're juggling.
15 of 15 pairs
Critical
Polish
szukać
to search
but
Slovak
šukať
to have sex (vulgar)
Taboo collision
Dangerous
Serbian
grad
city, town
but
Russian
град
hail (weather)
Homograph: city vs hail
Dangerous
Polish
zapomnieć
to forget
but
Russian
запомнить
to memorize, remember
Forget vs remember
Dangerous
Serbian
divan
wonderful
but
Russian
диван
sofa
Compliment vs furniture
Dangerous
Croatian
zabava
party, entertainment
but
Russian
забава
delay
Party vs delay
Dangerous
Czech
život
life
but
Serbian
život
waist/torso
Life vs waist/torso
Dangerous
Russian
вонь
stench
but
Polish
woń
fragrance/scent
Stench vs pleasant scent
Dangerous
Polish
sklep
shop, store
but
Russian
склеп
crypt, mausoleum
Shop vs crypt
Dangerous
Czech
pozor
attention / beware
but
Croatian
pozor
theater performance
Attention vs performance
Tricky
Russian
красный
red
but
Bulgarian
красив
beautiful
Red vs beautiful (semantic drift)
Tricky
Russian
образ
image
but
Serbian
obraz
face/cheek (archaic/poetic)
Image vs face/cheek
Tricky
Slovenian
čas
time
but
Serbian
čas
honor (archaic/poetic)
Time vs honor (register)
Tricky
Russian
рукав
sleeve
but
Bosnian
rukav
river branch/arm
Sleeve vs river arm
Tricky
Polish
pokój
peace
but
Czech
pokoj
room
Peace vs room
Tricky
Polish
rok
year
but
Croatian
rok
deadline/due date
Year vs deadline
Why meanings drift
Almost every false friend below started as a single Proto-Slavic word. Over a thousand years, each language narrowed it, broadened it, or flipped its tone — and the shared root became a trap. Here are the family trees behind the traps.
borrowed?objects · qualities
SR adjective vs RU noun sofa
- Russianдиван— sofa
- Serbiandivan— wonderful
*gordъplaces
City vs hail in RU (homograph issue)
- Russianград— hail (weather)
- Serbiangrad— city, town
*krasъappearance
Red/beautiful drift (East vs South/West)
- Bulgarianкрасив— beautiful
- Russianкрасный— red
- Serbiankrasan— beautiful (poetic)
*obrazъbody · media
Image vs face/cheek
- Russianобраз— image
- Serbianobraz— face/cheek (archaic/poetic)
?senses
Smell: opposite valence across some pairs
- Polishpach— smell/odor (often bad)
- Serbianpah— smell (often bad)
*pamętьmind
Remember vs forget traps
- Polishzapomnieć— to forget
- Russianзапомнить— to memorize, remember
*pokojьhome · abstract
Peace vs room
- Czechpokoj— room
- Polishpokój— peace
*pozorъattention
Attention vs performance (CZ/HR)
- Czechpozor— attention / beware
- Croatianpozor— theater performance
*rokъtime
Year vs deadline
- Croatianrok— deadline/due date
- Polishrok— year
*rukavъobjects · nature
Sleeve vs river branch
- Bosnianrukav— river branch/arm
- Russianрукав— sleeve
*sklepъplaces
Shop vs crypt
- Polishsklep— shop, store
- Russianсклеп— crypt, mausoleum
*stanъplaces · state
Camp/stand/state/apartment drift
- Russianстан— camp / state / stance
- Serbianstan— apartment
*(s)kъt-?actions
Search vs taboo verb divergence (PL/SK)
- Polishszukać— to search
- Slovakšukať— to have sex (vulgar)vulgar
?senses
Smell: stench vs fragrance nuance across languages
- Polishwoń— fragrance/scent
- Russianвонь— stench
*zabavasocial
Entertainment vs delay in RU
- Croatianzabava— party, entertainment
- Russianзабава— delay
*životъbody · life
Life vs waist/torso
- Czechživot— life
- Serbianživot— waist/torso
Frequently asked questions
What is a false friend?
A false friend is a pair of words in two languages that look or sound the same but mean different things. Slavic languages are full of them because most of their vocabulary descends from the same Proto-Slavic roots — but meanings drifted apart over a thousand years.
Why do Slavic languages have so many false friends?
Russian, Polish, Czech, Serbian and the other Slavic languages all grew out of Proto-Slavic, spoken until roughly the 9th century. The same root word survived in many languages, but each community narrowed, broadened, or flipped its meaning over centuries of separate development. The result: words that are spelled almost identically yet mean "shop" in one country and "crypt" in another.
Which Slavic false friends are the most dangerous?
The riskiest pairs are the ones where an everyday word in one language is vulgar or offensive in another — for example, the ordinary Polish verb "szukać" (to look for) sounds like a very vulgar verb in Czech and Slovak. We mark these as "critical" so you learn them first.
Do false friends actually matter for learners?
Yes — more than almost any other vocabulary. Because Slavic languages feel mutually intelligible, learners trust look-alike words by default. False friends are exactly where that trust backfires, so knowing the common traps prevents the most confusing (and most embarrassing) real-world mistakes.
Look up any word →
Search the dictionary across seven Slavic languages — word pages warn you when a word is a known false friend.
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