double life

/ˈdʌb(ə)l ˌlaɪf/

//ˈdʌb(ə)l ˌlaɪf// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"double-life" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“double life” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An existence or life that has two aspects, particularly when one of them is regarded as embarrassing, immoral, or unlawful and thus kept hidden from some people.

Corpus desk

Index EN-double-life · double life · English

double life · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "D" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for double life
PropertyValue
Headworddouble life
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdʌb(ə)l ˌlaɪf/
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “double life” sits in English frequency

double lifesits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

double life is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈdʌb(ə)l ˌlaɪf/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for double life in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct English form is double life, spelled D-O-U-B-L-E- -L-I-F-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An existence or life that has two aspects, particularly when one of them is regarded as embarrassing, immoral, or unlawful and thus kept hidden from some people.
  2. 2
    The hidden, or more unusual, aspect of a person's life.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how double life appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. He lived a double life as both a British diplomat and a Soviet spy.
  2. [page 153] But perhaps the most remarkable illustration of a double life is one which has been brought before the notice of the scientific world recently; [...] "A sergeant of the French army, F——, twenty-seven years of age, was wounded at the Battle of Bazeilles, by a ball which fractured his left parietal bone. [...] [page 154] Three or four months afte…

This word in other languages

double vie(Français)Doppelleben(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "double life"?
"double life" is spelled D-O-U-B-L-E- -L-I-F-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdʌb(ə)l ˌlaɪf/.
What does "double life" mean?
As a noun, "double life" means: An existence or life that has two aspects, particularly when one of them is regarded as embarrassing, immoral, or unlawful and thus kept hidden from some people.
How do you pronounce "double life"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "double life" is /ˈdʌb(ə)l ˌlaɪf/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "double life" come from?
"double life" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

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Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list