doppelganger

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/ˈdɑːpəlˌɡæŋər/
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A striking look-alike, a ghostly double of a living person, or in fantasy a shapeshifting imitator.
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Examples

  • The villain hired a doppelganger to replace the queen.
  • She believed the figure in the mirror was her doppelganger.
  • In the legend, seeing your doppelganger was a warning of danger.
  • In the game, a doppelganger can copy a hero's face and voice.
  • The party discovered that the guard was really a doppelganger.

Similar words

imitator
alter ego
dead ringer
mirror image
double
spitting image
twin stranger
imposter
apparition
phantom

Meanings

Uncanny look-alike

noun
everyday
neutral
A person who looks strikingly like another person, especially when they are unrelated and the resemblance feels surprising or eerie.

Usage

Use doppelganger for a very close look-alike, especially an unrelated person who could be mistaken for someone else.

Examples

  • People kept stopping him because he looked like the singer's doppelganger.
  • My friend found her doppelganger in an old family photograph.
  • The two actors are not related, but one is almost the other's doppelganger.
  • A viral contest invited fans to dress as the celebrity's doppelganger.
  • Seeing his doppelganger across the room made him pause.

Common mistakes

Doppleganger is a common misspelling, and doppelganger is sometimes used for any mild resemblance rather than a striking double.
IncorrectCorrect
I met your doppleganger at the airport. I met your doppelganger at the airport.
That actor is my doppelganger because we both wear glasses. That actor looks a little like me because we both wear glasses.
She doppelgangers her sister. She looks like her sister's doppelganger.

Similar words

look-alike
double
dead ringer
twin stranger
spitting image
mirror image

Ghostly double of a living person

noun
folklore
neutral
A supernatural double or apparition of a living person, traditionally imagined as an ominous counterpart rather than an ordinary ghost.

Usage

Use doppelganger in folklore, gothic fiction, and paranormal contexts for a person's eerie double or spectral counterpart.

Examples

  • In the legend, seeing your doppelganger was a warning of danger.
  • The gothic story gives the hero a silent doppelganger who follows him at night.
  • She believed the figure in the mirror was her doppelganger.
  • The film uses a doppelganger to show the character's hidden self.
  • The villagers feared the doppelganger as a bad omen.

Common mistakes

Doppelganger is broader than ghost, since the double is tied to a living person and may be treated as an omen or counterpart.
IncorrectCorrect
The doppelganger was the ghost of his dead grandfather. The apparition was the ghost of his dead grandfather.
A doppelganger is always a real twin. A doppelganger can be a supernatural double rather than a biological twin.
She saw two doppelganger in the mirror. She saw two doppelgangers in the mirror.

Similar words

double
apparition
spectral double
phantom
alter ego
evil twin

Shapeshifting imitator

noun
fantasy
neutral
A fictional creature or being that can copy another person's appearance, especially in fantasy games and stories.

Usage

Use doppelganger for a fantasy creature or character whose defining power is imitating another person's form.

Examples

  • The party discovered that the guard was really a doppelganger.
  • In the game, a doppelganger can copy a hero's face and voice.
  • The villain hired a doppelganger to replace the queen.
  • A careful clue revealed the doppelganger before it attacked.
  • Fantasy stories often use a doppelganger to create suspicion within a group.

Common mistakes

Doppelganger in fantasy is sometimes reduced to any monster, though the key idea is imitation or shape-changing.
IncorrectCorrect
The dragon was a doppelganger because it was dangerous. The shapeshifter was a doppelganger because it copied the prince's form.
We fought a doppelganger that could not change shape or imitate anyone. We fought a monster, but not a doppelganger.
The doppelganger's only power was fire breath. The doppelganger could take on another person's appearance.

Similar words

shapeshifter
imitator
mimic
double
imposter
copycat

Usage

Use doppelganger first for an uncanny look-alike in everyday English, and for ghostly or shapeshifting doubles in folklore and fantasy contexts.

Common mistakes

Doppleganger is the usual misspelling, and the word is often stretched to weak resemblances or used as a verb.

Etymology

Borrowed from German Doppelgänger, from Doppel meaning double and Gänger meaning goer or walker.

FAQ

What does doppelganger mean?

Doppelganger usually means a person who looks strikingly like another person.

Is doppelganger spelled with an umlaut?

The German spelling is Doppelgänger, but English commonly writes doppelganger without the umlaut.

Is a doppelganger the same as a twin?

No. A doppelganger is usually an unrelated look-alike or a supernatural double, not a biological twin.

Can doppelganger mean a ghost?

It can mean a ghostly double of a living person, but it is not just any ghost.

What is a fantasy doppelganger?

In fantasy, a doppelganger is often a shapeshifter that can imitate another person's appearance.

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