There’s just something about being a twin that all non-twins can never understand. It’s not just that they look the same, but sometimes it’s as if they even think the same! As any story’s plot twist, twins have the potential to be a super team or mortal enemies. From the classic trading places to having a best friend for life, these real stories about twins reveal the hilarious highs and surprising lows of having a doppelganger.
1. Let’s Think About That
My dad is a pilot and friends with identical twins who are pilots too. They were at the club’s open house when someone curiously asked them if there was any truth to twin telepathy. Both went quiet for a few moments, which made the man look very uncomfortable. Embarrassed, he sputtered out that it was a silly question.
Their answer was genius. One of the twins looked him in the eye and said, “Oh. It’s not a problem. We were just discussing how we were going to answer.” The man looked perplexed for a moment before the twins burst out laughing. They then told him that they had always been waiting for an opportunity to try that joke out.
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2. By The Sound Of It
When my twin sister and I were little in the late 90s, we had those password journals that only unlocked via voice recognition. My sister always tried to hide hers from me since she knew I could probably get into it. But I just snuck around her room anyway and looked for it. Then I would make a note of where it was.
Then later, I'd "spy" on her waiting for her to say the phrase and open her password journal so I could take it and read it when she wasn’t looking. I don't remember reading any juicy secrets, probably just who her crush was at the time, but man, she was so mad when she found out. It’s still fun for us to look back on.
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3. What’d I Miss?
I was good friends with identical twins in college. One night we were out for drinks, and one was making out with a girl then walked away to do something. At that very moment, his brother showed up and joined us. The girl just grabbed him and kissed him. The look of shock mixed with happiness on his face was hilarious.
4. By A Facial Hair
I visited my identical twin brother at his college where a lot of his floor didn't know he was a twin. He has a beard and I don't. So, that night he had some people over in his apartment, and I hid in the bedroom. While everyone was hanging out, he announced that he was tired of his beard and was going to shave it off.
Then he slipped into the bedroom where I was hiding to “shave.” We switched clothes, and I walked back out with my bare face. Everyone took note, and while generally a strange thing to do during a party, nobody thought much of it. After a little, I stood up and said, “I kind of miss my beard. I think I’ll grow it back.”
I went back to the bedroom and switched clothes with my twin. He went back to the group as if he immediately grew back his full beard. People lost their freaking minds.
5. Who Came First?
My name is hard to spell and pronounce. My identical twin? Not so much. So, I'm my sister at any coffee place that needs my name. It's small, but it's a perk. We know each other's passwords for everything, so we have the ultimate "if-something-happens-clear-my-history" deal because we have absolute trust in each other.
When one of us feels sick, the other feels sympathy pains. It worked well for getting out of school, but now if we're both sick on the couch, there's no one to do things. She gets migraines, and I always know when because I get blinding pain. Once, she messed her knee up. I knew right when it happened from across town.
I get insane cramps—sometimes I'll blackout from them. She always yells at me to take pain medication. We also tend to do a lot of stupid things, but we don't ever do it alone. We also have a lot of rules made up because of us—and one of them was for a disastrously hilarious incident. We were running a race, and we got really competitive, so I was running full speed.
I was going too fast, so I tripped and crashed. Then I slid for about five feet, getting tangled up with her making her land on my back. Her momentum made her steamroll over me just as I lifted my head. We spent the night in the ER. She broke her wrist and scraped her palms. I had an ice pack for the scratches on my cheek.
So now, my family doesn't let us run races anymore. I still contest that I won because I originally slid farther than she did. Her only advantage was flattening me into the ground and using me as a landing mat.
6. Seeing Doubles
In my high school, there was an unusually high number of twins, as in, a minimum of three sets per 90-person class. One class even had six sets. They also had their own page with a group photo in the yearbook! A common prank was switching classes for a period or day, but usually, teachers caught them as they were used to it.
Two brothers always got away with it though. They were just too identical in looks, voice, and mannerisms. One of them had a crush on me, and to this day, I still don’t know which one it was.
7. Cloning Around
My brother and I were in a very public place standing by each other. A person noticed us and came up and asked him, “Hey, are you guys twins?” My brother turned to me and as loudly as he possibly could, shouted, “JEEZ, you look just like me! What the heck?!” and then ran away screaming. I was both amused and mortified.
8. In Similar Fashion
My grandmother was an identical twin. She and her sister loved dressing identically for all major life events. Every party, they’re in the photo as a matched set. Ironically, the older they got, the more their looks differed. So, when I knew them, they were easy to tell apart. But I loved seeing their matching clothes!
9. Not Two Bad
My brothers are twins, and one would take spankings for the other. One of them is a Marine who’s always been tough. The other brother is more sensitive and emotional and didn’t take punishments well. My Marine brother told me that when they were little, he would always take spankings for his twin; It didn’t bother him.
He said that it only hurt him for a second and it’d save the other twin from having to endure something that would be hard for him to deal with.
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10. Which Is Switched
My brother and I always took advantage of being twins. In grade school, I had science class first period, and he had it second period. After every test, my teacher went over the answers. So, I’d walk out after taking a test, change my sweater, and go back in to ace it for my brother. It helped a lot in high school too.
It was handy when we were making movies. We could always make it look like one person was playing two characters. Once, I pretended to be my brother to ask a girl out. It didn’t work, so I ended up staying in his classes for a week to convince the teacher that I was him. Our physics teacher even had an ongoing bet with us.
We said that we could switch on him without him noticing. If we succeeded, I would get an A on my final. For months, I came in acting confused about where I sat. On the day of the final, we switched. It was easy. Everyone was staring at their test. He finished and wrote his name on it. Moments later, I came walking in.
I yelled, “Hey! You took my test!” I got that A. Now that we’re older, we regularly use each other’s ID when one of us forgets. And, when it comes to our health, we lucked out. It turns out that we have the same issues. One downside is that no one knows who’s who in old photos and videos—even some high school photos.
And once, my fiancé at the time took creepy pictures of my brother on a date. She thought she had just busted wide open a cheating scandal. The downside that comes with the biggest headache is getting our credit reports when we buy houses.
11. The Experiment
In grade one, the school decided to put us in separate classes. We didn’t like that. On top of that, his teacher got a guinea pig for the class. I was so sad that I couldn’t see it. So, one day, we switched places for a few hours so I could look at the guinea pig for a few classes. We got caught when one of our friends told on us.
12. One In The Same
My twin brother and I grew up with a love of pranks and excellent poker faces. So, hilarity always ensued. We once convinced someone at school that we were cousins that happened to look alike. Then we also convinced someone in college that we had never met before orientation and were randomly assigned to the same room.
We went to the other’s classes if one of us got sick too. For a year, I pretended to be my brother because I was too shy to admit that we were twins. So, we met up after classes and updated each other about the other’s friends. And that’s how we kept up with our friends until I finally broke the news in sophomore year.
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13. We Need To Talk
My mom has an identical twin, Christina. A guy in high school had a big crush on Christina, and she was too kind to let him down easily. But he was really creepy. He followed her around and inserted himself into conversations that she’d have. My mom was more outspoken and tried hinting that Christina wasn’t interested.
Well, he didn’t believe my mom and kept at it. One day, he’d irritated Christina to a point where she was fed up and wanted him to go away. So my mom came up with a plan. Christina was too nice to be able to tell him off and didn’t want to be mean. Since they sound exactly the same, my mom offered to call and do the hard parts of the conversation for her.
Christina called the guy and began the conversation with the usual pleasantries. Then she handed the phone off to her sister who told him that there was nothing between them and he had to leave her alone. She also stayed on the phone with him while he reacted to the rejection—but the story didn’t end there. Everything actually worked out for them in the end.
They still know him and are friends! He’s happily married now, and they’ve never told him that they had switched back and forth during that call.
14. I’ll Be There
I have a twin! I'm a woman, and he's a man. There are way too many people who ask us if we’re identical…As adults, the best part about having a twin is always having a friend. As little kids, it was not having to be alone experiencing the world. I always see my friends post pictures of their kid’s first day of school.
And I think to myself, “you’re really going to send that three-year-old out there all alone?!” But then I remember that most people have to do that every day, so it’s comforting that we knew that we would always have a friend. We even opted to be in the same class until the third grade despite protests from the school.
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15. Sit Still, Look Pretty
My twin brother and I went to the same college. Because he had taken a year off between high school and college, I graduated a year before him. I walked in May but technically had an elective that I needed to complete. Problem was that I lived out of state. So, I paid him to go to my class and watch movies essentially.
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16. Shopping For Looks
My sister and I had the most fun when we worked at different stores in the same mall. A person would come into my store then later be in her store and look quite confused. There were a few times when we acted like we had no idea what they were talking about. Making people feel like they’re seeing things was pretty fun.
17. Two For Me, Please
My brother and I are identical. Any time there’s a “one per person” limit, I get a second turn through with a different sweatshirt. If they say I’ve already gone through, I just say I have a twin brother. Then I talk about how crazy it is that we both went through there without knowing it and show them a picture of us.
This also works for all places that give freebies for birthdays. I get two free items or orders if he’s out of town or isn’t planning on going to that place.
18. Sister With Benefits
I have a fraternal twin sister, so we didn’t get the opportunity to pull any pranks or switch identities or anything like that. But the big advantage was since we’re the same age, I always had an excuse to be around her friends and ended up dating one of her friends for a few years. It was the best when we were in high school.
My girlfriend would tell her parents she was having a sleepover with my sister at our place. So, technically she never lied, even though she slept in my bed with me!
19. Takes One To Know One
Whenever I’m in a new class or group and the tired ice breaker, “Tell everyone something interesting about yourself,” comes up, I always say that I have an identical twin. It’s not as great as pranks or switching places, but it’s useful when you don’t want to think too hard. Non-twins usually always love knowing twins!
20. Who’s Speaking?
In middle and high school, my twin and I used to write exams for each other. It was cool! But then as we grew older, our features changed, and it wasn’t as easy for us to get away with it. Our voices do still sound exactly the same, so we can often trick our parents on the phone. Although, we aren’t exactly telepathic.
But when you literally spend every waking second of your life together, we usually know what the other is thinking. It’s almost like we’ve developed our own language.
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21. What’s Yours Is Mine
I have a twin sister who makes life easier. When I stay over, I never have to pack clothes. We have the same style and fit the same size. Health-wise, we take the same medications, so she’s my backup supply. But the best is that she’s always there when I need to vent and can always tell when I reach my breaking point.
22. Theater Class
My twin and I constantly switched classes in elementary school. But by grade four, the teachers started threatening us with detention if we weren’t in the right class. So, with real consequences looming, we decided to turn on the dramatics to infuriate our teachers. Instead of actually switching, we started to pretend.
We’d come into class and exaggeratedly ask what the lesson was that day and pretend not to know our classmates. Technically, we hadn’t switched classes, so we technically couldn’t get in trouble. The teachers were confused and furious. So worth it.
23. Look What We Got
Our parents were more the ones taking advantage of us being twins. They always got discounts since people love twins. And once, I got lost at the beach. So, my mom took my twin and walked around asking people if they saw a girl who looked exactly like her. The best part for us was that we always got candies and treats!
24. Close Enough
My twin and I went to the same college. My senior year, I was doing a co-op in Indianapolis. School was in Chicago, so I was about three hours away. One day, I got an email to set an appointment to take my yearbook photo. With my only options being during the 40-hour workweek at co-op, I would’ve had to use a vacation day.
It’d be a six-hour round trip just to pose for pictures. So, I asked my brother at school to take it for me. He did try to look a little more like me with the clothes and facial hair but being identical twins did the heavy lifting. He returned the favor for when my retakes were used for his yearbook photo in high school.
25. It All Works Out
My sister was well-liked where she worked, so when there was a job opening, I applied. At the interview, they basically said, “Your sister is good at her job, you look like her, so you must be good too. You're hired!” I've done the same for her since. Plus, I get her to change her hair first to see how it’d look on me.
26. A Part Of Me
My twin sister and I are best friends now! We were close as children then grew apart in middle school when we were trying to carve out our own identities. It didn’t help that we were both competitive and mad about sharing literally everything from a bedroom to all our friends. I remember throwing a fit in eighth grade—and the reason why was so embarrassing, I still cringe.
My twin wanted to wear the same Bath and Body Works cherry blossom fragrance that I did. But that was my scent! Eventually, we got over our intense rivalry and became close again. It’s a level of familiarity that I don’t have with anyone else on this planet because we share the same personality quirks. It’s not exactly telepathy.
But when we talk on the phone, I immediately know what she’s feeling based on the subtle way she says “hello.” We entered this world together, and I can’t imagine my life without my wombmate.
27. Always A Good Time
My twin and I are really good friends and super similar. We share the same sense of humor, so we always find the same things funny. If I think something is hilarious then I know he will too. If I have a thought in my head, I know he's thinking the same thing. We followed the same career path, so we talk about that too.
And we have all the same friends. It also made making friends very easy because hanging out as three is a lot more dynamic and fun than just with two people talking one on one. And I got to do everything growing up with him. I'm really lucky.
28. Working Together
My twin brother always buys nice fashionable clothes. I don’t, but they eventually end up in my wardrobe when he gets new clothes—same size fits all! We also pool resources to buy friends or family much bigger gifts at Christmas than one gift from each of us. But it was the best when we worked in the same restaurant.
We always sent each other to work a shift whenever we felt like it. That meant that we basically decided our own timetables; Our boss never cared as long as one of us showed up. As kids, we had a long pre-arranged list of numbers to remember whenever someone asked about twin telepathy. "What’s that? Never heard of it!”
One of us would say, “Maybe if I say a number in your ear and you ask my brother what it was…" It never really worked. Then we went to different universities in the same city, which was the first time we had different friend groups. It was a regular occurrence for classmates to come up to me and ask why I ignored them.
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29. Playing Nice
My twin and I use our “twin telepathy” to our advantage whenever we play on the same team in Pictionary. Our friends had to learn very quickly that we couldn’t be on the same team. This was decided after one of us would draw a line or two before the other would guess the right answer every turn. We had to be separated.
30. On Assignment
I have a twin sister. We went to the same school but were in different classes. Sometimes if we wanted a recap of a class, we’d just swap classes. So, if my sister wanted to repeat a language class and I felt like I didn’t need it, she’d just go as me. She also never minded changing into gym clothes to go to PE for me.
It was very handy. The best scenario was if one of us couldn’t show up to a meeting. Once, my sister forgot about a society presentation she had to do in university when she was out of town. So, she just briefed me on what to say. It went so well that it was almost hilarious. It really feels like you’re a double agent.
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31. Roger That
It was such a hoot switching classes in grade school. We did it all the time, but the time that stands out was senior year of high school. Both of our classes just so happened to be in the library at the same time, so we did the obvious thing: switch places. I went back to his classroom with his teacher and classmates.
All of our friends were in on it. But then I found out that they had oral presentations that day in class. Each student had to stand up and recite a poem relevant to the lesson. I obviously had nothing memorized, and my twin hadn’t either. So, I came up with a plan on the fly. When it was my twin’s turn, I stood and sang “Comfortably Numb” by Pink Floyd.
I played the song on my phone so I could sing along and everyone could get the reference. I started it right as Roger Waters says, “Hello?” and sang all the way through the first chorus. By the time I finished, the class was an absolute riot. Heck, even the teacher seemed to enjoy it. But, I wound up getting a 40/100 on it.
A friend of ours tried to recite the actual poem and got a 30/100. Although he butchered it pretty bad, there’s no way that could possibly be a fair grade. I guess even the ring master’s eyes twinkle when the circus is in town.
32. Easy To Be You
Identical twin here. Personally, I’ve taken advantage of lots of "twin-isms" like when I couldn’t find my license so just used my brother’s. In high school, my brother’s girlfriend came up to me and started rubbing my back but quickly realized her mistake. It also helped when we were in college studying the same major.
Having a "built-in" study partner was highly advantageous. It also helped that we think similarly. Even our family has a hard time telling us apart on the phone, so it's easy to impersonate each other with or without caller ID.
33. Sleight Of Hand
My grandfather has a twin. When they were little, they were cutting potatoes—and a horrible catastrophe struck. He accidentally cut off his brother’s finger. However, they later used it to their advantage. Then when they were older, they enrolled in the Army. My grandfather went first for medical and passed. He came out and switched outfits with his brother before going back in as him to pass the test.
They knew he’d be rejected with his missing finger, so it all worked out. When it came to relationships, they used to take out each other’s dates if the other changed their mind about them. They even broke up with each other’s girlfriends! It was piece of cake until their mid-20s, when their looks started changing.
They both also played professional rugby but were on different teams. There was one game when they swapped jerseys at halftime and no one knew about it. They did eventually confess to what they did.
34. Getting Schooled
After playing a baseball game in high school, my brother got recruited to play college baseball. No one had told them that he was a twin until a week before the school visit. So, they extended the offer to me to visit, and I went along. Well, at the end of it all, I ended up getting a scholarship to play there as well!
35. Flawless Technique
If we had a history test covering two chapters, I would read one chapter while he read the other one. In the middle of the test, I’d get up to sharpen my pencil, and he’d get up to ask the teacher a question. Then when we went back to our desks, we’d sit at the other’s to complete the test. The teacher never caught on.
36. Appearance Fee
I met a set of twins who joined the army together and were immediately reassigned to the Secret Service. Their job was to travel with dignitaries as well as the dignitaries’ body doubles and be seen in public in various locations to fake out would-be attackers. They spent their entire career traveling around the world.
They stayed in the best hotels too with their only duty walking in front of the press with either dignitaries or their doubles.
37. One Of The Boys
I’m a girl with a twin brother, so I consider myself very lucky to have grown up doing activities or playing with toys that were “meant for boys” just due to accessibility. He’d played with my “girly” toys too. I have good memories of attending his Boy Scouts meetings with him. But I also remember being quite confused.
I wasn't allowed to attend overnight camping trips with them. I didn't really understand how I differed from the rest of them, especially considering I went to all the meetings.
38. Not The Best Party Look
Identical twin here. To be honest, I wish I’d done more with it growing up. But it has come in handy. Like once I visited my brother in college when this random guy at a party asked me if I was ready for the drink he owed me. I accepted. But there’s a huge drawback. The worst part about being a twin at a party is seeing your sibling getting messy.
It makes you think, “Is that what I really look like?!” It ruins the mood immediately.
39. Two-Timer
When my brother and I were both in relationships, we used to take our girlfriends to the same coffee shops and restaurants but at different times! On multiple occasions when we’d leave the table, the staff let our girlfriends know that their boyfriend was a womanizer and there was, “another woman.” We found it amusing.
40. All For One And One For All
My brother and I alike in lots of ways, but we have our own personalities. I like to stay inside to read, and he goes outside to play sports. But once, I accidentally lit an old shed on my neighbor’s property on fire. The neighbor saw me, but because my brother was known to cause trouble, she pointed the finger at him.
Our parents didn’t think too much about it, apologized, and paid for the damages. They were upset and punished him for a while and believed that he did it. Confused at first, my brother didn’t take long to figure it was me. After I asked why he didn’t tell, what he told me made me burst into tears. He said, “We’re brothers. We’d do anything for each other.”
So, I helped with chores on the days when he was grounded. To be honest, the whole thing brought us closer together as siblings. But I ended up blurting out the true story while we were talking to my parents. They just laughed and apologized to my brother. They gave me a short lecture and now tell the story at parties.
41. Best Guess
I have a friend who is a twin, and they hate one another but still live in the same neighborhood. My friend was always posing as his brother at the video shop. When we went to rent a movie, he gave the guy his brother's name. The guy asked for a password. After a pause, my friend asked, “Did I tell you to ask me that?”
When the guy said yes, my friend thought for a second and then said, “Is it Metatron?” The guy nodded and handed him the movie. His brother was annoyed and tried to thwart his scheme, but ultimately, their “twinness” is what got him.
42. Worked Out For Me
My brother and I followed the same career path. We went to the same college and everything. After graduating, he immigrated to another country for work. So, I used him as an A/B test for success in this different country. He’s done well, so now I’m planning to immigrate soon. Much less risky since he’s already done it!
43. Speed Talkers
As fraternal twins, we couldn't trick people into thinking we were the other twin, but we do have the “twin telepathy.” We can communicate complex ideas rapidly and subtly due to how close we are. It's really fun especially doing it in a group. Also, when we were little kids, we'd often split up to evade our caretaker.
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44. You Know What I’m Saying?
I know a pair of twins who, when they were younger, developed their own way of speaking. It wasn’t a brand-new language, but they meshed their words in a way that’s hard to understand. They have a sibling who mostly understands what they’re saying but isn’t “fluent” so to speak. Around other people, they talk normally.
But once they’re together, they revert to their speech patterns.
45. Had To Be There
I’m a twin, and the best part about being one is all the inside jokes. My brother and I have so many inside jokes even now at 30. The coolest part is that our minds work alike, so we only have to say one or two words before the other one bursts into laughter. Our brothers and both our wives look at us like we’re crazy.
But most people wouldn’t get it. It’s a connection there that other siblings just can’t have.
46. It’s Either One
Really, it's so much easier to pretend to be the other person. Advantages my twin and I have used include taking his license to drive and him taking mine to get into clubs where he’s banned. It helps with errands too like getting packages for each other. There was a time when I got injured during a sporting tournament.
I just snuck off and gave him my gear to play for me. Then as we got older, we loved playing pranks on each other’s friends to see how long it would take for them to realize we were the other twin.
47. Living Life Together
I make absolutely every mundane task into a two-man job if I can no matter how easy it’d be to do on my own. If I can rope my brother in, I do. Whether it’s grocery shopping, dishes, mowing, cleaning, whatever the job, I always ask that he pitches in. It goes both ways; he gets me to help if he already started the job.
I always include him with my friends and social obligations when possible, and the same goes for him with me. In any game that requires cooperation or teamwork, we work together to beat it. He’s the one I go to for input on my writing, jokes, relationships, work, musical discoveries. Really, it makes everything easier.
I’ll always have someone in my corner, someone who cares, someone who is my best friend and is always there for me.
48. Department Issues
My sister and I work for a family-owned grocery store but in different departments. She’s a cashier, and I’m in the bakery. One morning, I had a lady scream my sister’s name at me, “Why are you back there?!” I just shrugged and told her, “They needed help.” Little did I know, she’d gone up front to my sister’s manager.
She asked loudly, “Why do you have [my sister] working in the bakery?!” Her manager looked confused and told her, “[my sister] is off today. You saw her twin back there.” She got really upset that my sister didn’t tell her she’s a twin.
49. You Have Visitors
My brother and I are identical. When we were pre-teens, Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons would sometimes knock at the door. Neither of us wanted to hear their pitch. Twice, I answered the door and quickly realized my mistake. I told the solicitors, "Can you just hold on one second quick, I just need to change my shirt."
Then I walked into my brother’s room and told him that someone was at the door for him. Both times, he talked to them for a very long time out of courtesy because he wasn’t comfortable with upsetting them. As soon as he closed the door, he was quick to tell me off.
50. Know You Better
I'm a fraternal twin with my sister. I'm a guy. We can always tell what's going on with each other and can never really lie to one another. We never call each other out if one of us lies but always wait to discuss it when we’re alone. We get feelings when the other is having a hard time. Once, I was stationed overseas.
I was getting into trouble, and she called me and directly asked me what was wrong. She said that she couldn’t sleep and felt anxious after I tried to brush it off. So, I told her what was going on. There was one week when I had insomnia for three days but couldn’t say why. Later, I found out the devastating truth. She’d experienced a miscarriage.
When we were little, we'd get the same songs stuck in our heads and be on separate sides of the house. Our mom would tell us that she’d just heard our twin humming that tune. In high school, we would have the other invite the people we had crushes on to our birthday party and such. She's the best wingman I've ever had.
Plus, I would do math homework, and she would do English homework. Having a twin is pretty rad. I'm very lucky.
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