This is a list of English–Icelandic false friends, that is, word pairs similar in appearance but different in meaning.
The following are common points of confusion:
The following terms happen to look similar but are less likely to cause confusion.
| Icelandic word | English translation | English false friend | Icelandic translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| barn | child | barn | hlaða |
| fars | finely ground meat | farce | skrípaleikur |
| fagott | bassoon | faggot | faggi |
| gift | married | gift | gjöf |
| grín | joke | grin | glott |
| grípa | to catch | grab | grípa í |
| Ísland | Iceland | island | eyja |
| kind | sheep | kind | vingjarnlegur |
| klikka | fail | click | ýta |
| klósett | toilet | closet | skápur |
| korn | grain | corn | maís |
| kraftur | force | craft | handverk |
| kvitta | to sign (a receipt) | quit | hætta |
| skin | shine | skin | húð |
| sofa | sleep | sofa | sófi |
| stóll | chair | stool | kollur |
| svampur | sponge | swamp | mýri |
| útlenskur | foreign | outlandish | fáránlegur |
| turn | tower | turn | snúa |
| mappa | folder | map | kort |
| plástur | adhesive bandage (UK: plaster) | plaster | gips |
| smakka | to have a taste | smack | að slá |
| yfirsjást | overlook | oversee | hafa umsjón með |
| frændi | uncle, cousin | friend | vinur |