Spanish cognates are words that are spelled the same and have the same meaning in Spanish. But sometimes the pronunciation IS DIFFERENT.
Pure cognates are spelled exactly the same in both languages, but pronounced differently. Some words are actor (ahk-tor) or natural (naht-oor-ahl).
True spanish cognates are spelled almost the same but have the same meaning in both languages, like accidente (accident) and elephante (elephant)
False cognates have the similar spelling and origin but totally different meanings.
Example: Anciano means elderly man, not ancient.
Hope that helped! I take Spanish so if you need help, please contact me!! ^_^