What does duplicate mean?
Word: Duplicate
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Duplicate means to make an exact copy of something, or to do again something that has already been done. As a noun, a duplicate is an exact copy.
Synonyms: copy, replicate
Antonyms: original
Word origin: From a Latin verb, through its past participle; it has been used in English since the late Middle Ages.
How do you spell duplicate?
Syllables: du - pli - cate
Tricky part: Many students hear a b where the second consonant should be and write dublicate. The letter after du is a p, as in duplex.
Watch out for: dublicate, dupplicate, duplicat
Memory tip: Each page that comes out of a photocopier lands with a soft puff of air: let that puff remind you that the consonant after du is p, never b.
Duplicate in a sentence
Example 1: Ma asked the locksmith to duplicate the key to our new flat.
Example 2: Keep a duplicate of your admit card in a separate folder.
Example 3: Two groups were writing the same report, so the teacher stopped them from duplicating the work.
Fun Fact
Before a living cell divides, it duplicates its DNA, so that each of the two new cells receives a full copy.
Practise the CREST Way
Sound Check
In which word does 'du' sound different from the others?
a) dual
b) duplicate
c) duck
d) duty
Show answer
c) duck. Duck has the short u of cup; in duplicate, duty and dual the du sounds like dew.
Spellacadabra
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
dupl______
a) acate
b) ecate
c) ikate
d) icate
Show answer
d) icate. The letters after pl are the same as in complicate: an i, then cate with a c.
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
123456789 tpcaduile
a) 562873419
b) 562837419
c) 526873419
d) 914378265
Show answer
a) 562873419. Taking the letters in the order 5, 6, 2, 8, 7, 3, 4, 1, 9 spells duplicate.
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct meaning:
Duplicate comes from a Latin verb. What did that verb mean?
a) to break apart
b) to hide away
c) to sign one's name
d) to make double
Show answer
d) to make double. The Latin verb meant to make double, and a duplicate does exactly that by making a second, identical copy.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Mohan lost his library card, so the librarian gave him a duplicate. What did Mohan receive?
a) a note asking him to search again
b) a card with a new number and name
c) a second card exactly like the first
d) a list of the books he had borrowed
Show answer
c) a second card exactly like the first
2. Why might a scientist try to duplicate an experiment?
a) to check that the same result comes again
b) to save money on materials
c) to finish the project in less time
d) to get a different answer from the first time
Show answer
a) to check that the same result comes again
