Understanding the Difference Between Duplicate and Replicate

Difference Between Duplicate and Replicate

The words duplicate and replicate might look the same, but they have different meanings. Let’s learn about these two words.

History

Duplicate comes from a Latin word “duplicatus,” which means “to double.” It means making an exact copy of something.

Replicate comes from a Latin word “replicatus,” which means “to fold back.” It means repeating something, like an experiment, to see if you get the same results.

How to Use Them

Duplicate is used when you make a copy that is the same as the original.

• She made a duplicate key for her house.
• Please duplicate this document for me.
• He keeps a duplicate of all important papers.
• The artist made a duplicate of his famous painting.
• These two pictures are duplicates; they look the same.

Replicate is used when you do something again in the same way.

• The scientist tried to replicate the experiment.
• They want to replicate the study in different cities.
• It was hard to replicate the success of the first movie.
• Can you replicate this design?
• The team worked to replicate the results.

Trick to Remember the Difference

A trick to remember the difference is:

• Duplicate – Think of “double” (same).
• Replicate – Think of “redo” (again).

Summary

Duplicate means making an exact copy.

Replicate means doing something again to get the same result.

Now you know the difference between duplicate and replicate!