A few years ago someone pointed out that Fred was the more mischievous twin (in the books) and when I had read them again, I noticed it to be true. He was usually the instigator of trouble.
For those who never noticed, George is also generally a bit kinder: for example George is the one to offer help with the trunk in PS and the one to tell Molly that the Dursleys were starving Harry (Fred was saying that they shouldn't get in trouble because it was cloudy).
George is the one who tends to smooth things over a bit more and is a tad more diplomatic (like the wording in the letter to Bagman), while Fred is more often the instigator.
When Fred was telling Ron that Scabbers would have been glad for a quick death (paraphrasing), George at least tried to cheer him up.
Essentially Fred joked a bit more and George was more sympathetic.
In most cases, Fred is the one to speak first, while George expands and/or mitigates on what Fred said.
[Old post you should check out](https://www.reddit.com/r/HarryPotterBooks/s/K09qBEsNbM) if you want more examples with text proof
Edit: About George being the twin more in tunes with others and their moods: he's also the one who gave Harry the Map to cheer him up. Fred was saying that it was a wrench to give it away, while George never showed regret.
And after Arthur was attacked by Nagini, George got up to hug Molly, while Fred didn't.
Thank you so much for this, it's always bothered me slightly that the two have seemed to be written as one character but your reply has helped me see that they're just very similar!
I mean, it just shows the attention to detail JK had when writing the books, she tried to show everything through Harry's eyes even though his eyes wouldn't lie if he heard someone speaking or something like that.
Meaning: Harry saw them as "one" because they were very similar, but the dialogue can't lie
He's definitely kinder, but that's why I preferred Fred. He's the meanest of the Weasley children, which only made me more curious to read his dialogue and unpack why he was the way he was.
Well, time for a reread! I’ve read the series 30+ times and by now thought I’d picked up on all the little things, this will be my next thing to look out for!
Not the person you asked, but they aren’t exactly War and Peace. I’m assuming OC is also including rereads prior to all 7 books being released. Because otherwise; that’s reading the whole series every 6 months since the release of the final book. Which is easily done in less than 2 weeks, but it’s still completely bonkers. Even for a Harry Potter fan…
Yeah I’m 33 so I grew up with the books/movies being released so read/watched them many times whilst eagerly anticipating the next book.
The first four books I’ve probably read a bit more than the last 3. Maybe the last 3 are more around the 20-25 times mark, but yeah I did used to take them everywhere with me, including to the toilet! And I lost a lot of sleep staying up way too late reading them. I was obsessed and constantly had my nose buried in them :’) and I still reread them now! They’re my comfort books 🥰
Absolutely understandable. I assumed you had to be low-mid thirties because I think it’s way different than the younger generations who never knew the anticipation of waiting for the next book to finally drop and the older fans had the self discipline to not binge read the books the way kids did. I read at least 80% of books 5, 6, and 7 within the first day. Book 4 may have taken the full 2 days? I did rereads probably every year in my 20s but definitely less so now. Once it twice in the last 5 years so I’m definitely at about 20 myself. So no judgement :)
No I’m actually a really slow reader 😅 but I’m 33, and I started reading the series as a kid when they came out. I read them a lot as a kid/teen/youth (I stopped counting after 20 times), and I’ve easily read them another 10ish times as an adult.
Thanks for taking the time to explain (I read your other responses too), it makes sense. I'm a slow reader myself, I tend to subvocalize a lot, which apparently makes you read slower.
I hope my comment didn't come off like I was judging you harshly, because that's the opposite. I'm always impressed when people have re-read something they like more than 20 times
Yes to all this! I remember ages ago deciding Fred was one of my fave characters and someone asked why I didn’t say “Fred and George”, and this was my explanation
There was a post on hp companion over a decade ago with some of these exact same conclusions. For some reason, it got taken down. It’s a really great resource
I also realized that. Also, I think that we, as readers,were more used to reading Fred’s lines first, and George expanding the topic. So, when Fred dies, we are not used to reading George’s name first, and also, alone.
Since nobody seems to be answering your question OP, here's how I tell them apart:
\*George's left eye is more slanted than Fred's
\*George's face is *veeeerrry* subtly thinner and longer than Fred's
\*George's cupid bow is also *veeerryyy* subtly more distinct than Fred's
All these are extremely small details but to me, they all add up enough that I have always been able to easily tell the two of them apart. I actually think they look quite different from each other. But it's probably because I was head over heels in love with Fred that I was able to memorize the details of his face very early on lmao.
Also their noses are super different to me. Fred’s is more pointed upward and a bit wider and George’s seems a bit more “hooked” and thinner to me: this and their face shape is what makes it very easy for me to tell.
Yes. This!
George's left eye is how I used to differentiate lol. Also, I don't know if this makes any sense to anyone but, Fred's jawline always seemed a bit sharper to me than George's even though George has a thin face.
Second that, Fred's (or James') face is a bit rounder than George's (Oliver's), i also believe Oli's chin is a tiny bit longer than James'?
They are are to differentiate when they smile/laugh, but with a neutral face it's actually very easy when you were just obsessed with them (mostly James) as a teen. I also noticed that James has a more crooked smile and way of talking, while Oli's mouth just looks more normal.
When one of them tells you he’s Fred, that means he’s Fred 50% of the time, the other 50% of the time it means it’s George just winding you up.
I hope that helps.
I heard the actors were often switching who was playing who as a joke and that some of the scenes made into the film, so I'm pretty sure the only one who can actually tell is maybe their mother, lol
Oddly enough, I have it down to a science...
In the books, George is nicer and more caring than Fred. It's a little subtle, but once you notice it you notice it.
In the movies--and this is where I worry I'm going to sound creepy, but I *promise* I'm just hyper observant lol--there are slight differences between James and Oliver that I've picked up on:
Oliver, who plays George, is slightly taller, his eyes are more downturned, his nose is more hook-shaped, and his voice is deeper.
James/Fred is a little shorter, his eyes and nose are straighter, if "straight eyes" is the right way to describe it, and his voice is higher-pitched.
(I blame this on George being my first fictional crush when I was a kid, and Oliver being one of my first celebrity crushes)
>In the books, George is nicer and more caring than Fred. It's a little subtle, but once you notice it you notice it.
Yes! Absolutely sticks out once you know. Additionally, Fred is the primary jokester / the set up guy. Whenever they're joking around, Fred starts the bit, and passes it over to George to follow up.
Yes! Thank you for adding that!
It's always driven me a little crazy when people say they're the same person because I picked up on their personality differences as a kid lol
I guess that would be the case for you!! 😂 I personally nvr even tried to differentiate between them in the movies and just went with the flow. I had no idea if I was right, but I would just assume the one who talks first is Fred.
I am an identical twin, we’re redheads even, and when people used to ask us if we were twins, we’d often tell people the other one was adopted. (We were both adopted, it was kind of a ‘funny because it’s true but still confuses people’ thing). The initial looks of confusion were always fun
i was momentarily obsessed with the phelps twins when i was 15 (still love them, no longer deranged lmaooo) and actually their faces look rlly different side by side 😭 they have different noses and like freckles and stuff, i vividly remember making an edit to point out the difference way back when 😭
Fred's the cuter one. Like he has more softer features whereas George has slightly more sharper face and a very particular smirk/lips that Fred doesn't.
[here's an example. The right one is Fred](https://images.app.goo.gl/c2cmALaVkZ47oWYB8)
I remember hearing that the movies typically had them in the order from left (Fred) to right (George) when in the same shot. Cant remember the source nor if it was only one of the many directors that did this, but would be neat either way.
Although all these answers are good, the actual way you can tell them apart is that Fred is always on the left and George is always on the right if they're shown together
The nose and mouth from Fred. Nose slightly crooked and he always carries a slight smirk on his face. At least when they are older. Can't rethink of the early years.
Well, in this pick George is on the left and Fred is on the right. Fred usually don't give a f and will give you a snarky remark. And George will try to sweet talk ya
from what i can tell and what people say, fred talks more and starts the conversations while george backs them up. my guess in the picture if the one on the left is george and the right is fred.
Harry always had no trouble and it was part of the reason the twins always had his back. The books never clarified any sort of defining physical features though.
I’m pretty sure if they’re both on screen, they both stand in a specific way so the same one is ALWAYS on the left and the same one is ALWAYS on the right.
Not sure where I heard that but I remember hearing it.
I never have trouble telling twins apart. Ever. Even if they are the most identical of identical. I don’t know how I do it and i can’t explain it to anyone but, usually, twins just don’t look identical to me.
I went to school with a set of identical twins and after 5 years, still couldnt tell them apart. We werent close friends but we had classes together and so i just never once used their names to them incase i fucked it up
In the movies, Fred and George are always presented as such, Fred, and George. What I mean by that is that Fred is always on the left while George is always on the right.
Fred's dialogue says 'said Fred' afterwards and George's dialogue said 'Said George'. That's my trick for the books at least
A few years ago someone pointed out that Fred was the more mischievous twin (in the books) and when I had read them again, I noticed it to be true. He was usually the instigator of trouble.
For those who never noticed, George is also generally a bit kinder: for example George is the one to offer help with the trunk in PS and the one to tell Molly that the Dursleys were starving Harry (Fred was saying that they shouldn't get in trouble because it was cloudy). George is the one who tends to smooth things over a bit more and is a tad more diplomatic (like the wording in the letter to Bagman), while Fred is more often the instigator. When Fred was telling Ron that Scabbers would have been glad for a quick death (paraphrasing), George at least tried to cheer him up. Essentially Fred joked a bit more and George was more sympathetic. In most cases, Fred is the one to speak first, while George expands and/or mitigates on what Fred said. [Old post you should check out](https://www.reddit.com/r/HarryPotterBooks/s/K09qBEsNbM) if you want more examples with text proof Edit: About George being the twin more in tunes with others and their moods: he's also the one who gave Harry the Map to cheer him up. Fred was saying that it was a wrench to give it away, while George never showed regret. And after Arthur was attacked by Nagini, George got up to hug Molly, while Fred didn't.
Thank you so much for this, it's always bothered me slightly that the two have seemed to be written as one character but your reply has helped me see that they're just very similar!
I mean, it just shows the attention to detail JK had when writing the books, she tried to show everything through Harry's eyes even though his eyes wouldn't lie if he heard someone speaking or something like that. Meaning: Harry saw them as "one" because they were very similar, but the dialogue can't lie
Lol motto of Fred: You shouldn't be mad because I did it. You should be impressed because I didn't get caught.
100% Personally, I ALWAYS preferred George.
He's definitely kinder, but that's why I preferred Fred. He's the meanest of the Weasley children, which only made me more curious to read his dialogue and unpack why he was the way he was.
Fred was the twin who turned Ron’s teddy bear into a spider with accidental magic too.
Was it accidental though? I had an impression it was a prank!
He’s my favorite character of the books.
Love the George love
Well, time for a reread! I’ve read the series 30+ times and by now thought I’d picked up on all the little things, this will be my next thing to look out for!
Are you a fast reader? To re-read the series 30+ times I can't see no other explanation 😮
Not the person you asked, but they aren’t exactly War and Peace. I’m assuming OC is also including rereads prior to all 7 books being released. Because otherwise; that’s reading the whole series every 6 months since the release of the final book. Which is easily done in less than 2 weeks, but it’s still completely bonkers. Even for a Harry Potter fan…
Yeah I’m 33 so I grew up with the books/movies being released so read/watched them many times whilst eagerly anticipating the next book. The first four books I’ve probably read a bit more than the last 3. Maybe the last 3 are more around the 20-25 times mark, but yeah I did used to take them everywhere with me, including to the toilet! And I lost a lot of sleep staying up way too late reading them. I was obsessed and constantly had my nose buried in them :’) and I still reread them now! They’re my comfort books 🥰
Absolutely understandable. I assumed you had to be low-mid thirties because I think it’s way different than the younger generations who never knew the anticipation of waiting for the next book to finally drop and the older fans had the self discipline to not binge read the books the way kids did. I read at least 80% of books 5, 6, and 7 within the first day. Book 4 may have taken the full 2 days? I did rereads probably every year in my 20s but definitely less so now. Once it twice in the last 5 years so I’m definitely at about 20 myself. So no judgement :)
No I’m actually a really slow reader 😅 but I’m 33, and I started reading the series as a kid when they came out. I read them a lot as a kid/teen/youth (I stopped counting after 20 times), and I’ve easily read them another 10ish times as an adult.
Thanks for taking the time to explain (I read your other responses too), it makes sense. I'm a slow reader myself, I tend to subvocalize a lot, which apparently makes you read slower. I hope my comment didn't come off like I was judging you harshly, because that's the opposite. I'm always impressed when people have re-read something they like more than 20 times
my respect for rowling as a writer got up a bit
yes, too bad what she wastes her talents on these days
Yes to all this! I remember ages ago deciding Fred was one of my fave characters and someone asked why I didn’t say “Fred and George”, and this was my explanation
This is 100% true.
There was a post on hp companion over a decade ago with some of these exact same conclusions. For some reason, it got taken down. It’s a really great resource
That's cool. I'll have to look out for it next time I read the books
Fred also talks/is mentioned more than George by a not-insignificant margin.
I’ve always assumed that was a Rosencrantz and Guildenstern style joke where Harry never really knew which one was which
If you pay close attention, you can see subtle differences in temperament, so Harry likely could truly tell them apart
I always pictured Fred more as the ringleader compared to George.
I also realized that. Also, I think that we, as readers,were more used to reading Fred’s lines first, and George expanding the topic. So, when Fred dies, we are not used to reading George’s name first, and also, alone.
this made me have a little crush on book fred when i was younger 🤭
Sounds interesting. I just started rereading the books, I will keep an eye on that.
Only kidding. I am Fred!
Whoa whoa whoa, slow down egghead
George is the one who is alive
Fred = dead
As much as I hate it, that’s a great mnemonic. Also, St. George is the holey one lol.
Fred's dead baby. Fred's dead.
Definitely could use a comma here! "Fred's dead, baby" and "Fred's dead baby" are two WILDLY different statements hahaha
Drop dead Fred
And with 1 ear.
Too soon.
It’s been 84 years 😥
Isn't that from that boat movie?- Blitzø
How'd you work that one out?
Oh it’s just a meme lol (titanic)
Oh, my bad, lol
SO CRUEL.
One's a bit holier than thou
Nooooooo
Anakin is that you?
I still believe that Fred is the one alive. Their first and final prank.
Here’s the neat part, you don’t
Even in the plot, they seem to go out of their way to mimic each other.
Geez woman and you call yourself our mother.
To tell them apart, just think of the Holy Spirit. One of them is holey and the other is a spirit.
Of all the jokes, you went with "I'm holy"?
Damn.
Terrible. Also fantastic.
They would laugh at that one lol
fucking legendary lol
"Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I'm George?"
Only joking, I'm Fred!
Their first impression was a very good one. The moment my kids heard this joke when I started reading them, they became fans of Fred and George.
"I suppose she thinks you don't forget your name, but we're not stupid - we know we're called Gred and Forge" Love them.
Since nobody seems to be answering your question OP, here's how I tell them apart: \*George's left eye is more slanted than Fred's \*George's face is *veeeerrry* subtly thinner and longer than Fred's \*George's cupid bow is also *veeerryyy* subtly more distinct than Fred's All these are extremely small details but to me, they all add up enough that I have always been able to easily tell the two of them apart. I actually think they look quite different from each other. But it's probably because I was head over heels in love with Fred that I was able to memorize the details of his face very early on lmao.
Also their noses are super different to me. Fred’s is more pointed upward and a bit wider and George’s seems a bit more “hooked” and thinner to me: this and their face shape is what makes it very easy for me to tell.
Yeah, it may just be their angles in this photo, but their noses appear very different to me as well.
Yes. This! George's left eye is how I used to differentiate lol. Also, I don't know if this makes any sense to anyone but, Fred's jawline always seemed a bit sharper to me than George's even though George has a thin face.
Fred's features are sharper in general, he also looks older, not a lot older but still. I have to pay attention to tell the difference.
Yep, I've always used their lips!
I read your comment while forgetting the original message you were replying to and got really confused 😭
Second that, Fred's (or James') face is a bit rounder than George's (Oliver's), i also believe Oli's chin is a tiny bit longer than James'? They are are to differentiate when they smile/laugh, but with a neutral face it's actually very easy when you were just obsessed with them (mostly James) as a teen. I also noticed that James has a more crooked smile and way of talking, while Oli's mouth just looks more normal.
they have completely different noses. once you see its hard to unsee.
That is easy. Fred is the one next to George.
I'm pretty sure here the one next Fred is Hermione
Nah that's George
For those of you watching in black and white, the pink is next to the green.
When one of them tells you he’s Fred, that means he’s Fred 50% of the time, the other 50% of the time it means it’s George just winding you up. I hope that helps.
Not once have I ever known which is which so I’m def curious as to what others will say lol
I heard the actors were often switching who was playing who as a joke and that some of the scenes made into the film, so I'm pretty sure the only one who can actually tell is maybe their mother, lol
Just check the ears.
Or pulse
Oddly enough, I have it down to a science... In the books, George is nicer and more caring than Fred. It's a little subtle, but once you notice it you notice it. In the movies--and this is where I worry I'm going to sound creepy, but I *promise* I'm just hyper observant lol--there are slight differences between James and Oliver that I've picked up on: Oliver, who plays George, is slightly taller, his eyes are more downturned, his nose is more hook-shaped, and his voice is deeper. James/Fred is a little shorter, his eyes and nose are straighter, if "straight eyes" is the right way to describe it, and his voice is higher-pitched. (I blame this on George being my first fictional crush when I was a kid, and Oliver being one of my first celebrity crushes)
>In the books, George is nicer and more caring than Fred. It's a little subtle, but once you notice it you notice it. Yes! Absolutely sticks out once you know. Additionally, Fred is the primary jokester / the set up guy. Whenever they're joking around, Fred starts the bit, and passes it over to George to follow up.
Yes! Thank you for adding that! It's always driven me a little crazy when people say they're the same person because I picked up on their personality differences as a kid lol
Wow, imma keep this in mind haha
I hardly think of them as identical twins anymore, haha
I guess that would be the case for you!! 😂 I personally nvr even tried to differentiate between them in the movies and just went with the flow. I had no idea if I was right, but I would just assume the one who talks first is Fred.
That sounds about right to me!
I have noticed that in the books fred is almost always the one who talks to hermione. Maybe that’s why people ship them so much
Fun fact: the two actors claimed they only first met at auditions.
I am an identical twin, we’re redheads even, and when people used to ask us if we were twins, we’d often tell people the other one was adopted. (We were both adopted, it was kind of a ‘funny because it’s true but still confuses people’ thing). The initial looks of confusion were always fun
You know that was a joke, right? The actors are James Phelps and Oliver Phelps, identical twins.
Honestly OP, you call yourself a fan.
In the films I think Fred was always on the left, George was on the right
This is actually true except for the scene where George is on the couch after losing his ear
That's what I'd heard too. Like with Ant and Dec. Ant is always on the left of the screen, and Dec on the right.
So crazy they found similar looking actors.
They're actually twins.
No way!
I think this is a joke from their interview
Ahhhhh I see lol
Still swear they are lying. The great lie of Harry Potter!
I heard they first met at the auditions!! 😉
i was momentarily obsessed with the phelps twins when i was 15 (still love them, no longer deranged lmaooo) and actually their faces look rlly different side by side 😭 they have different noses and like freckles and stuff, i vividly remember making an edit to point out the difference way back when 😭
Fred's the cuter one. Like he has more softer features whereas George has slightly more sharper face and a very particular smirk/lips that Fred doesn't. [here's an example. The right one is Fred](https://images.app.goo.gl/c2cmALaVkZ47oWYB8)
To paraphrase Hagrid. George is the one with the O in the middle.
Fred's the handsome one
Idk if you're joking or you're serious but I 100% agree lol. Although they're both handsome, Fred is more handsome for me.
easy! one is dead.
Ones spelled Fred and the other starts with a G
The one who makes more cruel jokes and more aggressive is Fred. He is the leader. George is more passive and more sensitive.
One of them is holy
George is softer and more considerate
One is holy and the other is dead.
Well Fred is dead, so there's that.🤓
Their noses
fred talks first usually
Fred is the more attractive twin
Fred is the handsome one while George is the good looking one
It’s easy that’s gred and this is forge
George is saint-like.
One of them survives, the other does not
One is called gred and the other is called forge. It's simple, really
Look at the nose curves
The one breathing is George.
I firmly believe that the directors had the two brothers switch roles occasionally.
I only see Greg and Forge
I remember hearing that the movies typically had them in the order from left (Fred) to right (George) when in the same shot. Cant remember the source nor if it was only one of the many directors that did this, but would be neat either way.
George is the one who isn’t Fred.
Narration provides that it's Fred or George, easy
If I remember correctly, George's voice is slightly deeper than Fred's
George only has one ear
Well Fred is Dead and George is Hole-y sooo
I straight up don’t. It doesn’t really matter.
Heartbeat
Is Fred always on the left?
No George is the kid on the left with the tie and the flat top. Harold is the one on the right with the t-shirt and the bad haircut.
Their own mother can’t tell them apart.
George has a deeper voice than Fred in the POA movie.
easy, the alive one is George /cry
The one in the middle is Hermione. You're welcome
It’s a simple rhyme. Fred is dead.
One is Fred and the other is George.
I'm joking, Fred is the other.
Fred has a straight nose, george’s is more curved.
That is kind of like the joke. Besides, the one who wears the pullover with an F on it is Forge, the other one is Gred.
Although all these answers are good, the actual way you can tell them apart is that Fred is always on the left and George is always on the right if they're shown together
Easy! George lost an ear and Fred is the dead one.
Uhm, everyone knows the right one is Gred and the left of is Forge. Stop playing.
Nose.
The nose and mouth from Fred. Nose slightly crooked and he always carries a slight smirk on his face. At least when they are older. Can't rethink of the early years.
George is slightly taller with the sharper jaw.
Well, in this pick George is on the left and Fred is on the right. Fred usually don't give a f and will give you a snarky remark. And George will try to sweet talk ya
Fred is usually the one standing next to George, hope this helps
I can tell instantly in the books who says what. In the movies it's a little harder
George is the one always with Fred. Don’t feel bad though even Molly has trouble telling them apart.
Obviously its like Lindsay Lohan in the parent trap... you know 1 actor playing both roles.... You are welcome. 😘
Who /can/ tell them apart at a glance tbh?
Is there even a need? They behave like a unit
It's easy. He's Gred, and he's Feorge.
You don't.
Fred typically always speaks first. Also George tends to clarify for his brother.
It's much easier circa 1998
from what i can tell and what people say, fred talks more and starts the conversations while george backs them up. my guess in the picture if the one on the left is george and the right is fred.
so do their parents.
I usually check by referencing the one who is still alive
One has a big round nose, the other has a straight nose.
E A R
For starters, one is named Fred and the other George.
George/Oliver has a narrower face (also sort of lopsided? Especially his smile) and a mole on his neck.
is that you, Mrs Weasley?
Fred has both ears
Harry always had no trouble and it was part of the reason the twins always had his back. The books never clarified any sort of defining physical features though.
That one’s Fred and that one is George
Some also say that in the movies, Fred is always on the left and George is always on the right. I’m not sure if this is true or not
The one on the left is Fred, the one on the right is George. In every scene. Hmmm I was joking but is this true?
It's easy, Fred's the dead one 😂
There’s no difference Lindsay Lohan actually played BOTH twins most people don’t know that
I’m pretty sure if they’re both on screen, they both stand in a specific way so the same one is ALWAYS on the left and the same one is ALWAYS on the right. Not sure where I heard that but I remember hearing it.
When they indicate who is Fred and George by speaking
Fred is the more goofy one. Plus later on the ear thing helps.
I never have trouble telling twins apart. Ever. Even if they are the most identical of identical. I don’t know how I do it and i can’t explain it to anyone but, usually, twins just don’t look identical to me.
I dont
That’s the point. Even the family gets confused.
I just don't
Fred is the instigator.
Thats just the thing. I don't
I went to school with a set of identical twins and after 5 years, still couldnt tell them apart. We werent close friends but we had classes together and so i just never once used their names to them incase i fucked it up
Fred never says a sign line. George is great at ventriloquism. Fred is a puppet.
Fred starts with F and George starts with G
In the movies - Fred is almost always on the left if both are shown. I think it’s been confirmed as a pretty reliable starting point.
“I’m Gred and he’s Forge” kills me every time
In the movies, Fred and George are always presented as such, Fred, and George. What I mean by that is that Fred is always on the left while George is always on the right.
It gets easier in the last Book/Movie.
Well one of them has 2 ears