duo

1. 1.

   two items of the same kind

   Synonymscouplepairtwosometwainbracespanyokecoupletdistichduetdyadduad

   Broadertwo

   Narrowerdoubleton

   Partsmate
2. 2.

   two performers or singers who perform together

   Synonymsduetduette

   Broadermusical organization

   NarrowerLaurel and Hardy
3. 3.

   a pair who associate with one another

   “the engaged couple”

   “an inseparable twosome”

   Synonymscoupletwosomeduet

   Broaderpair

   Narrowersame-sex marriage
4. 4.

   a musical composition for two performers

   Synonymsduetduette

   Broadermusical composition

   Partsprimosecondo

Other forms of duo

plural

dui

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about duo

What does duo mean?

duo means "two items of the same kind". That is the primary sense; the word has 4 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in duo?

duo has 2 syllables: du-o. The stress falls on "du". In IPA it is /ˈduoʊ/.

What is another word for duo?

Close synonyms include couple, pair, twosome, twain, brace. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is duo a common word?

duo is banded "Familiar" — widely understood, used when the subject calls for it. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.