Duel vs. Dual – What’s the Gist?
Duel and Dual are two English homophones, meaning that they are words which sound the same, but they have different spellings and different meanings.
- Duel acts as either a noun, meaning a combat with weapons; or as a verb, meaning to encounter an opponent.
- Dual is an adjective that means two in number or parts.
How to Use Duel in a Sentence
When to use Duel: Since duel can function as a noun or as a verb, you’ll want to know the denotation of each word.
As a noun, duel means a ritualistic combat between antagonists using weapons often to the death of one of the opponents.
For example:
- Dueling with weapons to the detriment of another is no longer permitted in this country. (Gerund)
- The duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr resulted in the former’s death. (Noun)
- The death of the opponent after the duel cast a pall over everyone present. (Noun)
Duel can also function as a transitive or intransitive verb that means to fight or to encounter an opponent. A transitive verb expresses action and has a direct object. An intransitive verb also expresses action, but the action isn’t passed.
For example:
- The rivals dueled each other to the death. (Transitive Verb)
- During fencing practice, the novice dueled the instructor. (Transitive Verb)
- During fencing practice, the novice dueled falteringly. (Intransitive Verb)
The word you use is largely based on its part of speech. Do you want a noun that demonstrates a thing? Or are you looking for a verb that indicates an expression of action?
Determining the part of speech that you want will help you choose the correct word.
How to Use Dual in a Sentence
When to use Dual: The word dual functions as an adjective that denotes two in number or two elements or characteristics.
For example:
- Taking high school classes with dual credits gave the incoming college freshmen a sophomore status. (Adjective)
- The dual nature of spring makes dressing for the weather unpredictable. (Adjective)
- The woman possessed a dual personality. (Adjective)
The adjective modifies the noun, indicating the dualistic elements.
Outside Examples of Duel vs. Dual
- For now, it’s Tannehill against the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes in an unlikely quarterback duel, with a trip to the Super Bowl in Miami Gardens, Fla., at stake. –Washington Post
- That sets up a final duel between Gideon, in a TIE-fighter, and Mando, using his newly acquired jet pack. In an impressive display of improvisation that would make Iron Man proud, Mando destroys Gideon’s ship and makes an escape. –USA Today
- A Dec. 11 letter to parents from Brandie Muha, the director of elementary curriculum for the Valparaiso schools and the interim principal of the school at the time, said Wodetzki resigned “due to personal reasons” and said the school’s Dual Language Immersion program would be cut at the end of the school year. –Chicago Tribune
- Taxes, congestion pricing, rent regulation, gun control — he has never suffered much blowback, either because they are the right policies, or they’re too complex to grasp. But last year, when he eliminated cash bail for most alleged criminals, he may have given himself a dual headache: a “reform” that the public can instantly grasp was a bad idea, and one that is hard to fix without trading a lot of other things away to the emboldened state Legislature. –New York Post
Phrases That Use Duel and Dual
There are some phrases that use the word duel or dual, including:
Fight a duel. Two people engaged in combat.
- The enemies vowed to fight a duel to settle the dispute.
Duel to the death: Fighting until one of the combatants dies.
- Affirming that they would fight a duel to the death, the opponents faced each other.
Dual income, no kids (DINKs): Two gainfully employed partners, who don’t have children.
- The carefree and financially solvent DINKs were the envy of their college friends.
Dual citizenship: A person that has legal resident status in two different countries.
- Because the child was born to expatriates living in France, she had dual citizenship in both France and the United States.
How to Remember These Words
The easiest way to recall which word you want to use is to look at the second vowel. A person duels with an enemy. The e in duel corresponds with the e in enemy. For the word dual, think of the synonym binary. The second vowel in both words is the letter a and both words mean two.
Article Summary
Is duel or dual correct? While these two homophones sound alike, they are not interchangeable. Ask yourself if you want an idea focusing on combat or a concept revealing a double characteristic.
- Duel is a noun or verb indicating a contest or event between rivals.
- Dual is an adjective which modifies a noun to show a twofold element.