If you already speak Italian and you're picking up German (or the other way around), you've probably noticed that some words barely need translating. kontrolle and controllo, präsident and presidente, programm and programma — these aren't isolated coincidences. Both languages drew on the same Latin and international vocabulary, especially for abstract, technical and institutional terms, so a good deal of German and Italian vocabulary lines up closely once you know what to look for.
This page puts such pairs side by side: the German word, the Italian word, and the shared English meaning, with the differences usually limited to an ending, a consonant swap or an umlaut. It's built for learners who want to stop treating every German word as a blank slate and start noticing the patterns. Type the German word for each English prompt in the flashcards below, and spaced repetition will bring back the shaky ones more often than the ones you've nailed.
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| # | English | German | Italian |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | fantastic | fantastisch | fantastico |
| 2 | control | kontrolle | controllo |
| 3 | president | präsident | presidente |
| 4 | large or big | groß | grossi |
| 5 | group | gruppe | gruppo |
| 6 | mandate | mandat | mandato |
| 7 | list | liste | lista |
| 8 | class | klasse | classe |
| 9 | interesting | interessant | interessante |
| 10 | blue | blau | blu |
| 11 | program | programm | programma |
| 12 | joke | scherz | scherzo |
| 13 | soldier | soldat | soldato |
| 14 | energy | energie | energia |
| 15 | study | studie | studio |
| 16 | nervous | nervös | nervoso |
| 17 | nose | nase | naso |
| 18 | bomb | bombe | bomba |
| 19 | laboratory | laboratorium | laboratorio |
| 20 | break | pause | pausa |
| 21 | drug | droge | droga |
| 22 | nature | natur | natura |
| 23 | director | direktor | direttore |
| 24 | documents | dokumente | documenti |
| 25 | series | serie | serie |
| 26 | difference | differenz | differenza |
| 27 | roses | rosen | rose |
| 28 | magic | magie | magia |
| 29 | photography | fotografie | fotografia |
| 30 | assistant | assistent | assistente |
| 31 | interest | interesse | interesse |
| 32 | enormous | enorm | enorme |
| 33 | style | stil | stile |
| 34 | phone call | telefonat | telefonata |
| 35 | private | privat | privato |
| 36 | universe | universum | universo |
| 37 | photographs | fotografien | fotografie |
| 38 | beast | bestie | bestia |
| 39 | negative | negativ | negativo |
| 40 | vampire | vampir | vampiro |
| 41 | europe | europa | europa |
| 42 | positive | positiv | positivo |
| 43 | romantic | romantisch | romantico |
| 44 | figure | figur | figura |
| 45 | technology | technologie | tecnologia |
| 46 | original | originell | originale |
| 47 | gasoline | benzin | benzina |
| 48 | students | studenten | studenti |
| 49 | interests | interessen | interessi |
| 50 | fashion | mode | moda |
| 51 | activity | aktivität | attività |
| 52 | university | universität | università |
| 53 | model | modell | modello |
| 54 | discussion | diskussion | discussione |
| 55 | profile | profil | profilo |
| 56 | |||
| 57 | identity | identität | identità |
| 58 | commission | kommission | commissione |
| 59 | secretary | Sekretärin | segretario |
| 60 | brilliant | brillant | brillante |
| 61 | poetry | poesie | poesia |
| 62 | protocol | protokoll | protocollo |
| 63 | existence | existenz | esistenza |
| 64 | structure | struktur | struttura |
| 65 | conference | konferenz | conferenza |
| 66 | coma | koma | coma |
| 67 | metal | metall | metallo |
| 68 | battery | batterie | batteria |
| 69 | pirate | pirat | pirata |
| 70 | document | dokument | documento |
| 71 | mass | masse | massa |
| 72 | candidate | kandidat | candidato |
| 73 | territory | territorium | territorio |
| 74 | applause | applaus | applauso |
| 75 | vodka | wodka | vodka |
| 76 | quality | qualität | qualità |
| 77 | procedure | prozedur | procedura |
| 78 | autopsy | autopsie | autopsia |
| 79 | crystal | kristall | cristallo |
| 80 | surgeon | chirurg | chirurgo |
| 81 | congress | kongress | congresso |
| 82 | banana | banane | banana |
| 83 | stadium | stadion | stadio |
| 84 | intelligence | intelligenz | intelligenza |
| 85 | potential | potenziell | potenziale |
| 86 | sandwich | sandwich | sandwich |
| 87 | bandit | Bandit | bandito |
| 88 | frequency | frequenz | frequenza |
| 89 | satellite | satellit | satellite |
| 90 | march | märz | marzo |
| 91 | holidays | ferien | ferie |
| 92 | internal | intern | interna |
| 93 | fun | spaß | spasso |
| 94 | league | liga | lega |
| 95 | allergic | allergisch | allergico |
| 96 | diagnosis | diagnose | diagnosi |
| 97 | ranch | Ranch | ranch |
| 98 | stable | stabil | stabile |
| 99 | microphone | mikrofon | microfono |
| 100 | industry | industrie | industria |
| 101 | author | autor | autore |
| 102 | sensitive | sensibel | sensibile |
| 103 | priority | priorität | priorità |
| 104 | telegram | telegramm | telegramma |
| 105 | dimensions | dimensionen | dimensioni |
| 106 | senate | senat | senato |
| 107 | discipline | disziplin | disciplina |
| 108 | plague | pest | peste |
| 109 | terrorism | terrorismus | terrorismo |
| 110 | tequila | Tequila | tequila |
| 111 | marijuana | marihuana | marijuana |
| 112 | aggressive | aggressiv | aggressivo |
| 113 | photographer | fotograf | fotografo |
| 114 | irony | ironie | ironia |
| 115 | parasite | parasit | parassita |
| 116 | sequence | sequenz | sequenza |
| 117 | corn | mais | mais |
| 118 | quarantine | quarantäne | quarantena |
| 119 | rare | rar | raro |
| 120 | category | kategorie | categoria |
| 121 | automatic | automatisch | automatico |
| 122 | autograph | autogramm | autografo |
| 123 | pole | pol | polo |
| 124 | epidemic | epidemie | epidemia |
| 125 | architect | architekt | architetto |
| 126 | to finance | finanzieren | finanziare |
| 127 | verbal | verbalen | verbale |
| 128 | climate | klima | clima |
| 129 | arrogance | arroganz | arroganza |
| 130 | ballet | ballett | balletto |
| 131 | parliament | parlament | parlamento |
| 132 | anomaly | anomalie | anomalia |
| 133 | unstable | instabil | instabile |
| 134 | probe | sonde | sonda |
| 135 | genetic | genetisch | genetico |
| 136 | immunity | immunität | immunità |
| 137 | urine | urin | urina |
| 138 | statistics | statistik | statistica |
| 139 | continent | kontinent | continente |
| 140 | grenade | granate | granata |
| 141 | religious | religiös | religioso |
| 142 | rival | rivale | rivale |
| 143 | organism | organismus | organismo |
| 144 | intensive | intensiv | intensivo |
| 145 | fury | furie | furia |
| 146 | dialogue | dialog | dialogo |
| 147 | specimen | exemplar | esemplare |
| 148 | furious | furios | furioso |
| 149 | industrial | industriell | industriale |
| 150 | diarrhea | diarrhoea | diarrea |
| 151 | integrity | integrität | integrità |
| 152 | sensitivity | sensibilität | sensibilità |
| 153 | relative | relativ | relativo |
| 154 | competence | kompetenz | competenza |
| 155 | efficient | effizient | efficiente |
| 156 | mosque | moschee | moschea |
| 157 | stability | stabilität | stabilità |
| 158 | immense | immens | immenso |
| 159 | elegance | eleganz | eleganza |
| 160 | universal | universell | universale |
| 161 | tolerance | toleranz | tolleranza |
| 162 | therapist | therapeut | terapeuta |
| 163 | cathedral | kathedrale | cattedrale |
| 164 | defensive | defensiv | difensiva |
| 165 | intimacy | intimität | intimità |
| 166 | efficiency | effizienz | efficienza |
| 167 | rank | rang | rango |
| 168 | radical | radikale | radicale |
| 169 | atlantic | atlantisch | atlantica |
| 170 | biological | biologisch | biologiche |
| 171 | diplomacy | diplomatie | diplomazia |
| 172 | solidarity | solidarität | solidarietà |
| 173 | activist | aktivist | attivista |
| 174 | informal | informell | informale |
| 175 | contrast | kontrast | contrasto |
| 176 | restrictive | restriktiv | restrittivo |
| 177 | instability | instabilität | instabilità |
| 178 | diplomatic | diplomatisch | diplomatiche |
| 179 | penguins | pinguine | pinguini |
| 180 | palestine | palästina | palestina |
| 181 | strategic | strategisch | strategica |
| 182 | humanitarian | humanitär | umanitari |
| 183 | intensity | intensität | intensità |
| 184 | islamic | islamisch | islamica |
| 185 | problematic | problematisch | problematico |
| 186 | antisemitism | antisemitismus | antisemitismo |
| 187 | pandemic | pandemie | pandemia |
| 188 | inclusion | inklusion | inclusione |
| 189 | bilateral | bilateraler | bilaterale |
| 190 | transparency | transparenz | trasparenza |
| 191 | individual | individuell | individuale |
| 192 | terroristic | terroristisch | terroristici |
| 193 | meteorologist | meteorologe | meteorologo |
| 194 | productive | produktiv | produttivo |
| 195 | dissent | dissens | dissenso |
| 196 | progressive | progressiv | progressiva |
| 197 | indirect | indirekt | indiretti |
| 198 | ideological | ideologisch | ideologica |
| 199 | dictatorship | diktatur | dittatura |
| 200 | narrative | narrativ | narrativa |
Many of these are Latin-derived or international vocabulary — words for institutions, science, technology and abstract concepts that both languages took from the same sources, like präsident/presidente or laboratorium/laboratorio. The resemblance usually comes from that shared pool rather than from the two languages borrowing directly from each other.
The pairs are the same whichever language you start from, so both directions benefit from spotting the correspondences, as in interessant/interessante. Note that the flashcards here ask you to type the German word for an English prompt.
Each pair is listed under the English meaning the two words share, so you can use that meaning as your anchor. Similar spelling still doesn't guarantee identical grammar — gender, plural forms and capitalization can differ — so learn each word properly rather than assuming a one-to-one match beyond meaning.
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