What is a Twinplet? Everything You Need to Know

They’re not twins or triplets...but they’re just as close

Did you just watch a TikTok that mentioned “twinplets” and now you're feeling a little confused? Are they twins or triplets? Both? Neither? In this article, we’re providing all the details on what twinplets are plus how they’re related to twins and triplets. So, if you’re ready to clear up all your questions about this new term (and discover the latest way to reference babies), read on.

Things You Should Know

  • When two best friends give birth within weeks of each other (one friend gives birth to twins, while the other has a single baby), they might call the babies twinplets.
  • These best friends raise their babies like siblings, and if they’re extremely close, they may even live in the same house—with their partners, too.
  • Unlike twins and triplets, the twinplets aren’t all blood-related, so they don’t look the same.
Section 1 of 3:

What are twinplets?

  1. Image titled Twinplets Meaning Step 1
    A twinplet is a trio of babies raised together by best friends. When two best friends give birth within weeks of each other, they might call their kids "twinplets"—one friend gives birth to twins, while the other has a single baby. Since twinplet parents are besties, they raise their children together like one big family.[1]
    • Twinplet parents might even live together if they’re extremely close friends, sharing one home with their partners and babies.
    • Some twinplet parents plan to get pregnant at the same time so they can raise their kids together.
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Section 2 of 3:

Are twinplets the same as triplets or twins?

  1. Image titled Twinplets Meaning Step 2
    Unlike triplets and twins, not all of the babies in a twinplet are blood-related. While two of the babies in a twinplet have the same parents, the other baby is born to different parents (thus, they don’t share the same DNA).[2]
    • Since two of the babies in a twinplet are twins, they can be identical or fraternal.[3]
    • If the twins in a twinplet are formed from the same egg, they’re identical.[4] But if the twins in a twinplet are formed from two separate eggs, they’re fraternal.[5]
Section 3 of 3:

Do twinplets look the same?

  1. Image titled Twinplets Meaning Step 3
    Two of the babies in a twinplet look the same, while one looks different. Although some twinplets look like they could be identical triplets, there’s usually one baby who looks different from the other two (because they have different parents).[6]
    • If the twins in a twinplet are identical, they share identical genes and look exactly the same—they have the same features, and they’re the same sex.[7]
    • If the twins in a twinplet are fraternal, they have different genes, which means they can look very different from each other—they might have different features or be the opposite sex.[8]
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References

  1. ↑ https://www.kidspot.com.au/news/my-bff-and-i-live-with-our-husbands-and-kids-as-a-family-of-8/news-story/1f9ce152586ef9ba2035b9458f09fa19
  2. ↑ https://www.kidspot.com.au/news/my-bff-and-i-live-with-our-husbands-and-kids-as-a-family-of-8/news-story/1f9ce152586ef9ba2035b9458f09fa19
  3. ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/9710-expecting-twins-or-triplets
  4. ↑ https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/identical-twins
  5. ↑ https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Fraternal-Twins
  6. ↑ https://www.kidspot.com.au/news/my-bff-and-i-live-with-our-husbands-and-kids-as-a-family-of-8/news-story/1f9ce152586ef9ba2035b9458f09fa19
  7. ↑ https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/identical-twins
  8. ↑ https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/family-dynamics/Pages/The-Difference-Between-Identical-and-Fraternal-Twins.aspx

About This Article

wikiHow Staff
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wikiHow Staff
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Co-authors: 4
Updated: March 28, 2023
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Categories: Siblings
Article SummaryX

Wondering what the word “twinplets” means? Twinplets are groups of three babies that are born around the same time and grow up together but aren’t all related by blood. Usually, a set of twinplets includes a pair of twins and a third baby from a different set of parents. The parents of a set of twinplets are usually best friends who raise their kids together like one big family.

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