The word TWIN is a confusing term because in its strictest sense, the correct definition of a twin is 'the result of the division of an organism or an organ into two equivalent organs'. That means when two babies are born at the same time as each other. they are only properly " twins" if they are the result of a single fertisiled egg.
So people who are the result of the synchronous development of two separate fertilised ova, who may be of the same or different genders to one another, are not strictly speaking twins, even though they are likely to be referred to as "twins" during their lives because they were delivered from the womb at the same time when only one baby was expected.
Identical twin, who are true twins, will always be of the same gender and look alike. Newly born babies who are the synchronous development of the product of two separate eggs may produce babies who look very alike one another or sometimes two babies with significent differences in certain features, but in neither case are they truly twins and can normally be much more easily destinguished throughout their lives than can true twins.
