As an English speaker, your biggest traps will be words that look the same but aren't: In German, this means Poison . Eventuell: In German, this means Perhaps , not "eventually." Rat: In German, this means Advice , not a rodent.
Language proficiency is directly tied to the size of your vocabulary. The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) maps vocabulary size to specific capability levels: german vocabulary for english speakers - 9000 words pdf
Hand (Hand), Finger (Finger), Name (Name). Near Cognates: Haus (House), Maus (Mouse), Buch (Book). As an English speaker, your biggest traps will