Indistinguishable vs. identical: what’s the difference?
The short answer
Indistinguishable means not able to be identified as different, but may not be exactly the same; identical means exactly the same in every detail.
What they have in common
Both words imply that there is no detectable difference between two or more items.
Examples
indistinguishable
- The twins were indistinguishable to most people.
- The fake painting was indistinguishable from the original at first glance.
identical
- The two statements are identical in meaning.
- She wore an identical dress to the one she had last year.
Which one is more common?
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