What it's NOT
bachelor does NOT translate to bachiller.
To say "bachiller" in English, use high-school graduate.
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False cognate · False friend
bachelor
Does NOT mean bachiller
It means an unmarried man / a bachelor's degree
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
What it IS
bachelor means an unmarried man / a bachelor's degree.
Why it's confused
Spanish "bachiller" is someone who completed high school, the pre-university level. English "bachelor" is a full four-year university degree. It also means an unmarried man, a sense Spanish doesn't have.
How it's pronounced
bachelorBÁ-che-lor
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Examples of correct use
English
He's still a bachelor.
Spanish
Sigue soltero.
English
She has a bachelor's degree in law.
Spanish
Tiene una licenciatura en derecho.
A trick to remember it
Bachelor = unmarried man, or a degree. A high-school graduate (Spanish "bachiller") = high-school graduate.
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Frequently asked questions
What does "bachelor" mean in English?
"Bachelor" means "an unmarried man / a bachelor's degree". It looks a lot like "bachiller", which is exactly why it gets confused, but they don't mean the same thing.
How do you say "bachiller" in English?
To say "bachiller" in English, use "high-school graduate". If you use "bachelor" instead, you would actually be saying "an unmarried man / a bachelor's degree".
Do "bachelor" and "bachiller" mean the same thing?
Spanish "bachiller" is someone who completed high school, the pre-university level. English "bachelor" is a full four-year university degree. It also means an unmarried man, a sense Spanish doesn't have.
Other confusing false friends
More confusing false friends
Library, embarrassed, actually... the full list of words that look the same but mean something different.
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