Studying IB French B? Be mindful of faux amis.

Vocabulary is an essential part of the study of any language. But if you are a IB French B student, you’ll need to remember to look out for faux amis or words that sound like an English word but mean something different. Helpfully, our IB French B author, Marie-Laure Delvallé has put together a list of faux amis words for you to remember. Extracted from her earlier Peak IB study guide French B SL & HL this is a useful tool for Standard and Higher Level students. An updated version of the French B study guide should be available for purchase in 2021, do check our Language B Resources page for further updates.

What is faux amis?

Be aware of words that we commonly call '“faux amis” in French. They are those words that sound like an English word (and sometimes they are also spelt the same way!) but have a different meaning altogether. A good knowledge of these subtleties of the language will demonstrate your degree of mastery of the language. You will need to be wary of them for a misinterpretation of such a “faux ami” could result in you missing the point of passages you read. A good rule of thumb is to double check the meaning of the words in context.

Faux Amis words

More helpful tips for IB French B

Refer back to the list above at any point to help refresh your memory on the tricky faux amis words. If you are looking for other helpful resources when it comes to French B vocabulary, then be sure to read our article Top 10 vocabulary mistakes to avoid in IB French B.