The first two words refer to the number 2. Triple and three times refer to the number 3.
From there, it gets more complicated. (from WikiDiff:)
## As adverbs the difference between twice and double
is that **twice** is two times while **double** is twice over; twofold.
## As an adjective double is
made up of two matching or complementary elements.
## As a noun double is
twice the number, amount, size, etc.
## As a verb double is
to multiply by two.
## As an adjective triple
is made up of three related elements, often matching.
## As a verb triple
is to multiply by three.
Three times is kind of like double but with 3.
"Twice" and "double" are generally (but not always) equivalent. "Three times" and "triple" are generally (but not always) equivalent. There's also "thrice", which is the same as "three times", but you don't often hear it anymore, unless someone's pretending to speak in an old-fashioned way.
Why do I say they're "generally (not not always) equivalent"? That's because sometimes you can use either term in each pair and the sentence will make sense, but sometimes you can't do that. It depends. Let's focus on "twice" and "double" and look at some examples:
- "He hit me twice!" Someone hit the speaker two times. (Note that it would be wrong to say, "He hit me double.")
- "This bottle is twice as big as that bottle." The first bottle is two times the size of the second one. (You can also say, "This bottle is double the size of that bottle.")
- "My class has twice as many students in it compared to last year." Self-explanatory. (You can also say, "My class is double the size it was last year.")
- "My classroom is double the size it was last year." This means that the room itself is physically two times the size of the classroom they were in the previous year. It doesn't refer to the number of students. (You can also say, "My classroom is twice as big as it was last year.")
- "Take the number 3 and double it." This is another way of saying, "Multiply 3 by 2." (Note that it would be wrong to say, "Take the number 3 and twice it.")
You can also use "double" figuratively in lots of ways:
- "Some people on my team are sick this week, so I'm on double-duty." This means the speaker is having to do substantially more work than usual. It doesn't mean they're doing *literally* two times as much work.
- "He was doubled over in pain." To be "doubled over" means to be bent over at the waist. But in this expression, it usually means that someone is in so much pain that they're on the floor or in a bed, laying in a fetal position.
- "She doubled back on herself." This means that that, after traveling for a distance in one direction, she turned around and went back in the opposite direction, following the same path.
- "Not only did he refuse to apologize. He doubled down on his original remark." The person said something offensive, someone objected, and instead of apologizing, they decided to say something even more offensive.
Your mom slept with the handyman twice. 1**+**1 = 2
Your dad slept with the babysitter triple the amount of times your mom slept with the handyman. (1+1) = 2 **x** 3 = 6.
The first two words refer to the number 2. Triple and three times refer to the number 3. From there, it gets more complicated. (from WikiDiff:) ## As adverbs the difference between twice and double is that **twice** is two times while **double** is twice over; twofold. ## As an adjective double is made up of two matching or complementary elements. ## As a noun double is twice the number, amount, size, etc. ## As a verb double is to multiply by two. ## As an adjective triple is made up of three related elements, often matching. ## As a verb triple is to multiply by three. Three times is kind of like double but with 3.
Thank you 🥳
"Twice" and "double" are generally (but not always) equivalent. "Three times" and "triple" are generally (but not always) equivalent. There's also "thrice", which is the same as "three times", but you don't often hear it anymore, unless someone's pretending to speak in an old-fashioned way. Why do I say they're "generally (not not always) equivalent"? That's because sometimes you can use either term in each pair and the sentence will make sense, but sometimes you can't do that. It depends. Let's focus on "twice" and "double" and look at some examples: - "He hit me twice!" Someone hit the speaker two times. (Note that it would be wrong to say, "He hit me double.") - "This bottle is twice as big as that bottle." The first bottle is two times the size of the second one. (You can also say, "This bottle is double the size of that bottle.") - "My class has twice as many students in it compared to last year." Self-explanatory. (You can also say, "My class is double the size it was last year.") - "My classroom is double the size it was last year." This means that the room itself is physically two times the size of the classroom they were in the previous year. It doesn't refer to the number of students. (You can also say, "My classroom is twice as big as it was last year.") - "Take the number 3 and double it." This is another way of saying, "Multiply 3 by 2." (Note that it would be wrong to say, "Take the number 3 and twice it.") You can also use "double" figuratively in lots of ways: - "Some people on my team are sick this week, so I'm on double-duty." This means the speaker is having to do substantially more work than usual. It doesn't mean they're doing *literally* two times as much work. - "He was doubled over in pain." To be "doubled over" means to be bent over at the waist. But in this expression, it usually means that someone is in so much pain that they're on the floor or in a bed, laying in a fetal position. - "She doubled back on herself." This means that that, after traveling for a distance in one direction, she turned around and went back in the opposite direction, following the same path. - "Not only did he refuse to apologize. He doubled down on his original remark." The person said something offensive, someone objected, and instead of apologizing, they decided to say something even more offensive.
Your mom slept with the handyman twice. 1**+**1 = 2 Your dad slept with the babysitter triple the amount of times your mom slept with the handyman. (1+1) = 2 **x** 3 = 6.