doppelganger

/ˈdɑpəlˌɡɛŋəɹ/

Other forms: doppelgangers

Someone who looks spookily like you, but isn't a twin, is a doppelganger. Originally, this was a type of ghost.

The word doppelganger is German and literally means double walker — as in a ghost or shadow of yourself. An easy way to remember it is that doppelganger sounds like double, as in "That movie star is my double. We look so much alike." These days, most people don't refer to the ghost meaning when talking about doppelgangers: they just mean someone who looks a lot like you or could be your twin. Still, that is pretty spooky.

Definitions of doppelganger

1. noun

   a person who is almost identical to another
   synonyms: clone, dead ringer, ringer

   type of:

   double, image, look-alike

   someone who closely resembles a famous person (especially an actor)
2. noun

   a ghostly double of a living person that haunts its living counterpart
   type of:

   legendary creature

   a monster that is unverifiable but popularly accepted as possibly factual