Gemelo versus Mellizo

Question

Hi! This is my first time asking a question on here so I don't know how quickly I'll get a reply. I take Spanish as a class, but I failed my second semester. My school did some weird things and now a year later I'm retaking it... without any knowledge from the first semester which is why I'm on here.
My teacher and our textbook (VHS Senderos Supersite) say that gemelo/a translates to twin. Is this a dialect difference? Or is it just a translation error?

Silvia Piriz · Accepted Answer

Hola Rin L.
In Spanish, both gemelo/a and mellizo/a can translate as “twin” in English, but they are not exactly the same:

Gemelos are identical twins (from the same egg).

Mellizos are fraternal twins (from two different eggs).

In everyday Spanish, especially in textbooks and casual speech, gemelo is often used as a general word for “twin”, even when people are technically talking about mellizos. So your textbook isn’t “wrong”, it’s just using the broader, more common usage.
If you want to be precise:

Identical twins → gemelos

Fraternal twins → mellizos

But don’t worry if you see gemelo used for both, that’s very normal in real life.
You’re absolutely on the right track by noticing this distinction.
¡Ánimo con tus estudios!
Silvia

Clara Melchor Bowman · Answer

Hi Rin, I know that Kwiziq will really help you so much with your studies. Keep going and lots of luck! Clara 🤩