What is a cognate in reading?

A cognate in reading refers to words that have a common origin and often share similar meanings across different languages. This connection can help learners make associations between languages, facilitating vocabulary development, especially for students who are multilingual or those learning a new language. Recognizing cognates enhances reading comprehension as students can leverage their knowledge of one language to understand another, making the learning process more efficient. For example, the English word "information" and the Spanish word "información" are cognates because they derive from the same Latin root.

Other options, while related to language learning, do not accurately reflect the definition of cognates. Words that sound similar may not share meanings or origins, and opposites refer to antonyms, which are not connected by a linguistic root. Words that are spelled the same in different languages might not share meaning or origin either, so they do not qualify as cognates.