What it's NOT
miserable does NOT translate to miserable (tacaño).
To say "miserable (tacaño)" in English, use stingy.
ESEN
False cognate · False friend
miserable
Does NOT mean miserable (tacaño)
It means deeply unhappy
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
What it IS
miserable means deeply unhappy.
Why it's confused
Spanish "miserable" can refer to someone wicked or despicable, in addition to unhappy. English "miserable" almost exclusively means someone suffering or deeply unhappy. The moral sense of wickedness doesn't exist in English.
How it's pronounced
miserableMÍ-se-ra-bol
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Examples of correct use
English
I feel miserable today.
Spanish
Me siento fatal hoy.
English
The rain made us miserable.
Spanish
La lluvia nos puso de mal humor.
A trick to remember it
Miserable (English) = deeply unhappy. Stingy (Spanish "miserable") = stingy.
Mini quiz
"I feel miserable" means...
Frequently asked questions
What does "miserable" mean in English?
"Miserable" means "deeply unhappy". It looks a lot like "miserable", which is exactly why it gets confused, but they don't mean the same thing.
How do you say "miserable" in English?
To say "miserable" in English, use "stingy". If you use "miserable" instead, you would actually be saying "deeply unhappy".
Do "miserable" and "miserable" mean the same thing?
Spanish "miserable" can refer to someone wicked or despicable, in addition to unhappy. English "miserable" almost exclusively means someone suffering or deeply unhappy. The moral sense of wickedness doesn't exist in English.
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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