Most of the words that look alike in English and German are a gift. Hand, Haus, Wasser, Finger and Winter mean what you expect. But a few look just as familiar and mean something quite different. These are called false friends, and they are worth learning on purpose, because they are exactly the words you will use with confidence and get wrong.
Three that cause real misunderstandings
Gift is a famous one. In German it means poison, so a Gift for a birthday would be a serious misunderstanding. The word for a present is Geschenk.
Bekommen looks like “become” but means “to get” or “to receive”. Ich bekomme ein Eis means “I am getting an ice cream”. To say “to become”, use werden.
Chef is the boss, not the person cooking, who is the Koch.
Ich habe eine Fahrkarte bekommen.
I got a ticket.
Das Gift ist gefährlich.
The poison is dangerous.
Words that look right but are slightly off
Some look like English words, but are used differently. Handy is the German word for a mobile phone, and it is a word German invented, so English speakers do not use it. Aktuell means current or up to date, not “actually”. Eventuell means possibly, not “eventually”, and sensibel means sensitive, not “sensible”.
Small words with big surprises
Fast means “almost”, which is different from the English “fast”, and bald means “soon”. Also means “so” or “therefore”, not “also”.
When you learn any of these, learn the word you actually mean along with it, as in the notes in the list below. That way the right word is waiting when you need it.