Distinguishable means able to be recognized as different or told apart from something else. When two things are distinguishable, you can see, hear, or sense the differences between them, even if they're similar.

Identical twins might look almost the same, but they're usually distinguishable once you know them well. You notice that one smiles more on the left side, laughs differently, or parts their hair just slightly differently. In a choir, a trained musician can pick out individual voices that are distinguishable from the whole group, even when everyone sings together.

The opposite would be indistinguishable, meaning so alike that you can't tell them apart. Two drops of water are practically indistinguishable. Two snowflakes under a microscope, however, are distinguishable because each has its own unique crystal pattern.

Scientists use this word when they need to identify differences that matter. A biologist might study two types of beetles that are barely distinguishable from each other, or an astronomer might look for distant stars that are distinguishable from the darkness around them. The word suggests that the differences exist and can be detected, even if you have to look carefully.