What do we call similar cognates in two languages that have related meanings but are spelled differently?

The term that describes similar cognates in two languages that have related meanings but are spelled differently is known as partial cognates. Partial cognates are words in different languages that share a common origin and have similar meanings but differ in their spelling or form. This distinction is essential because while they may look or sound alike to some extent, their differences set them apart from true cognates, which have identical or very similar spelling and pronunciation.

In contrast, false cognates are words that may sound similar in two languages but have completely different meanings, which can often lead to misunderstandings. Lexical pairs typically refer to sets of words that are related in meaning but do not imply a direct relationship between two languages. Phonetic cognates focus on the similarity in sound rather than meaning or spelling, which does not apply to this particular definition. Therefore, the concept of partial cognates effectively captures the idea of having related meanings while varying in spelling across two languages.