French and English have thousands of similar-looking words thanks to their shared history, but looks can be deceiving. Words like actuellement, librairie, or préservatif don’t mean what many learners think they do. In this article, we uncover 20 common English-French false friends, show their true meanings, and give examples so you can avoid making awkward mistakes.

Think you know what embarazada means? Or actual? Be careful — Spanish and English share many similar-looking words, but not all of them mean the same thing. These false friends can lead to confusion or even embarrassing mistakes. In this guide, we explore 20 of the most common Spanish-English false friends, explain their real meanings, and give examples to help you use them correctly.

In Old English, second-person pronouns were complex, with distinct forms for singular, plural, and even dual pronouns, plus separate cases. Over time, English simplified dramatically. Through the influence of Norse contact, the Norman Conquest, and broader trends of grammatical simplification, English lost these distinctions, and you became the universal second-person pronoun. This article explains the historical changes, social pressures, and linguistic shifts that led to the disappearance of forms like thou and ye, and why Modern English is so different from its relatives like French or German.

The cot–caught merger is one of the most significant sound changes in North American English, where the vowels in words like cot and caught are pronounced the same by many speakers. This article explores its history, causes, and geographic distribution, explaining why the merger happened, where it’s widespread, and why some regions resist it. It also discusses its impact on teaching, dictionaries, and technology, helping learners understand both merged and non-merged systems for better comprehension and communication.

American English is full of regional accents, each shaped by history, culture, and migration. From the smooth tones of General American to the distinctive vowels of Boston, the musical Southern drawl, and the evolving sounds of Modern American English, every accent tells a story. This guide explores the most common U.S. accents, explains their pronunciation features with IPA examples, and even covers which accents dictionaries use so you can understand and be understood wherever you go.

Do you often mishear English words and get confused in conversations? You're not alone. Mishearing happens due to fast speech, accents, connected sounds, and brain shortcuts. This guide explains why it happens and gives practical tips to improve your listening skills, recognize natural speech patterns, and train your ear like a native.