doppelgänger

IPA/ˈdɒp.əlˌɡæŋ.ər/
IPA/ˈdɑː.pəlˌɡæŋ.ɚ/

doppelgänger — noun

  • doppelgängersingular
  • doppelgängersplural

1. an unrelated person who happens to look almost identical to someone you know, or

1.nounC1
Definition

an unrelated person who happens to look almost identical to someone you know, or — in older ghost stories — a phantom shaped like a real, living individual; for example, a stranger on the train who could pass for your sister, or a shadowy figure said to copy a person's appearance as a bad omen.

Example

Lara froze in the cafe when she spotted a doppelgänger of her late grandmother by the window.

a doppelgänger of [someone]

Tourists in Seoul kept stopping Erik because he was the doppelgänger of a famous K-pop singer.

the doppelgänger of [public figure]

Common collocations
  • a doppelgänger of [someone]
  • someone's doppelgänger
  • uncanny doppelgänger
  • ghostly doppelgänger
  • celebrity doppelgänger
Synonyms
  • look-alike

    everyday, neutral term for someone who resembles another person, with no supernatural overtone

  • double

    common in film and crime contexts; can also mean a body double or stand-in

  • spitting image

    very informal idiom; emphasises an uncanny degree of resemblance

  • ringer

    informal, often in 'a dead ringer for'; stresses that the resemblance is unmistakable

Grammar Patterns

a doppelgänger of someone

someone's doppelgänger

Usage Note

Often used loosely today for a striking real-world look-alike; the original supernatural sense (a ghostly twin appearing to its living counterpart) survives mainly in horror, folklore, and literary writing. Frequently spelled without the umlaut as 'doppelganger' in everyday English.

Common Mistakes

My twin sister is my doppelgänger.
My twin sister and I look alike, but a doppelgänger is someone unrelated who happens to resemble you.
by definition, a doppelgänger is not a relative.
They are doppelgängers of each other in personality.
They have very similar personalities.
doppelgänger refers to physical appearance, not character or behaviour.

Word family

  • doppelganger
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five words describe someone who strongly resembles another person, but they differ in register and connotation. 'Look-alike' is the most neutral, everyday choice (a celebrity look-alike at a party). 'Double' is common in film and security contexts and can refer to a paid stand-in or body double. 'Doppelgänger' is more literary, often carries an eerie or coincidental tone, and traditionally implied a supernatural ghost-twin of a living person — useful when the resemblance feels uncanny rather than merely close. 'Spitting image' and 'ringer' are informal idioms emphasising how striking the resemblance is; you might say a child is 'the spitting image of her mother' or that a stranger is 'a dead ringer for' your friend. Choose 'doppelgänger' for an unsettling or fated feel, and 'look-alike' or 'double' when you just want to say two unrelated people look the same.

doppelgänger ↗look-alikedouble ↗spitting imageringer ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • celebrity doppelgänger
  • ghostly doppelgänger

Phrases

  • someone's doppelgänger
  • an uncanny doppelgänger

Prepositions

  • doppelgänger of

Etymology

GermanEnglish

Borrowed into English in the early 1800s from German Doppelgänger, literally 'double-goer' — Doppel meaning 'double' and Gänger meaning 'one who walks or goes'. The word entered English through Romantic-era German ghost stories, where a Doppelgänger was a person's ghostly second self whose appearance foretold misfortune. Modern English has largely lost the supernatural weight and uses the word for any striking, often unsettling, physical look-alike.