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Common repeated words in English

Repeated words may be rather unfamiliar knowledge, but we use them quite often, especially in conversational English. In today's article, let's explore the definition and a list of the most common repeated words in English together!

I. What are repeated words in English?
II. List of common repeated words in English
III. Exercise on repeated words in English
1. 1. Exercise: Choose the correct answer
2. 2. Answers

I. What are repeated words in English?

Repeated words in English grammar are the phenomenon of repeating all or part of a word to create a new word or phrase, often carrying a sense of emphasis, addition, or description of a specific characteristic. For example:

I've told you again and again not to do that.
I saw them walking hand in hand through town the other day.

II. List of common repeated words in English

Below, PREP has compiled and summarized some phrases with repeated words examples. Take a look!

No.	Common repeated words in English	Meaning	Example
1	Again and again /əˈɡɛn ənd əˈɡɛn/	Repeatedly, many times	Jack tried again and again, but he couldn't solve the puzzle.
2	All in all /ɔl ɪn ɔl/	considering all the different parts of the situation together	All in all, it was a successful event.
3	Arm in arm /ɑrm ɪn ɑrm/	When two people are arm in arm, they both have one arm bent at the elbow and passing around and supporting, or being supported by, the arm of the other person	They walked arm in arm along the beach.
4	Back to back /bæk tə bæk/	close together and facing in opposite directions	They scheduled meetings back to back all day. The office was full of computers, and we had to sit back to back in long rows.
5	Bit by bit /bɪt baɪ bɪt/	gradually	Bit by bit, Anna saved enough money for a new car.
6	Day by day /deɪ baɪ deɪ/	every day, or more and more as each day passes	Day by day, John’s health improved.
7	Day to day /deɪ tə deɪ/	happening every day as a regular part of your job or life	Jennie handles problems on a day to day basis.
8	End to end /ɛnd tu ɛnd/	arranged with one end of next to the end of something else	The cars were lined up end to end.
9	Enough is enough /ɪˈnʌf ɪz ɪˈnʌf/	something you say when you want something to stop	I've had enough of his excuses; enough is enough.
10	An eye for an eye /ən aɪ fər ən aɪ/	the idea that a person who causes another person to suffer should suffer in an equal amount	Richard believes in an eye for an eye when it comes to justice.
11	Eye to eye /aɪ tə aɪ/	If two people see eye to eye, they agree with each other	They didn't see eye to eye on the issue.
12	Face to face /feɪs tə feɪs/	directly, meeting someone in the same place	They had a face to face meeting to resolve the conflict.
13	Hand in hand /hænd ɪn hænd/	holding each other's hand	They walked hand in hand through the park.
14	Head to head /hɛd tə hɛd/	involving a direct competition between two people or teams	The two teams went head to head in the final match.
15	Heart to heart /hɑrt tə hɑrt/	a serious conversation between two people, usually close friends, in which they talk honestly about their feelings	They had a heart to heart conversation about their future.
17	Less and less /lɛs ənd lɛs/	If something happens less and less, it becomes gradually smaller in amount or happens less often	Robert spends less and less time at home.
18	Little by little /ˈlɪtəl baɪ ˈlɪtəl/	slowly or gradually	Little by little, Lenny learned to speak the Spanish language.
19	Lose-lose /luz luz/	A lose-lose situation or result is one that is bad for everyone who is involved	The negotiation turned into a lose-lose situation.
20	More and more /mɔr ənd mɔr/	increasingly	More and more people are working from home.
21	Mouth-to-mouth (resuscitation) /ˌmaʊθ.təˈmaʊθ/	the act of forcing air in and out of the lungs of a person who has stopped breathing by blowing into their mouth and pressing their chest	Staff are trained in the techniques of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
22	Neck and neck /nɛk ənd nɛk/	If two competitors are neck and neck, they are level with each other and have an equal chance of winning	The racers were neck and neck as they approached the finish line.
23	Never say never /ˈnɛvər seɪ ˈnɛvər/	used to say that a person should not say that he or she will never do something because people change their minds	I might travel to Antarctica someday; never say never.
24	A no-no /ə noʊ noʊ/	something that is thought to be unsuitable or unacceptable	Wearing jeans to a formal event is a no-no.
25	On and on /ɔn ənd ɔn/	continuing for a long time	Peter talked on and on about his new car.
26	One by one /wʌn baɪ wʌn/	separately, one after the other	One by one, the students presented their projects.
27	One on one /wʌn ɑn wʌn/	A one-on-one activity involves two people talking directly, usually with one teaching or giving information to the other	Emi prefers one on one meetings with her team members.
28	Out and out /aʊt ənd aʊt/	complete or in every way; used to emphasize an unpleasant quality of a person or thing	It was an out and out lie.
29	Over and over /ˈoʊvər ənd ˈoʊvər/	repeating many times	Anne practiced the song over and over until it was perfect.
30	Shoulder to shoulder /ˈʃoʊldər tə ˈʃoʊldər/	If people are shoulder to shoulder, they are close together and next to each other	They stood shoulder to shoulder in the crowded room.
31	Side by side /saɪd baɪ saɪd/	next to each other	They worked side by side to complete the project.
32	Side to side /saɪd tə saɪd/	from this side to the other, swaying, wobbling	The boat rocked side to side in the storm.
33	So-so /soʊ soʊ/	between average quality and low quality; not good or well	The movie was so-so; not great, but not terrible.
34	Step by step /stɛp baɪ stɛp/	dealing with one thing and then another thing in a fixed order	Lona followed the recipe step by step.
35	Through and through /θru ənd θru/	completely	Smith was a loyal friend through and through.
36	Time after time /taɪm ˈæftər taɪm/	again and again; repeatedly	Time after time, Joe proved his loyalty.
37	Time and time again /taɪm ənd taɪm əˈɡɛn/	again and again; repeatedly	Sarah warned him time and time again about the risks.
38	Toe to toe /toʊ tə toʊ/	directly opposing or competing with each other	The two boxers went toe to toe in the ring.
39	Win-win /wɪn wɪn/	A win-win situation or result is one that is good for everyone who is involved	Their partnership turned out to be a win-win situation.
40	Word for word /wɜrd fər wɜrd/	using exactly the same words	Bray repeated the instructions word for word.

III. Exercise on repeated words in English

To better understand the meaning and usage of the repeated words in English listed above, let's complete the exercise section below together.

1. Exercise: Choose the correct answer

Anna tried to fix the leaky faucet ______, but it kept dripping.
1. Again and again
2. Word for word
3. Arm in arm
_________, it was a memorable trip despite the unexpected rain.
1. Toe to toe
2. All in all
3. Arm in arm
They walked _________ along the sandy shore, enjoying the sunset.
1. Again and again
2. Time after time
3. Arm in arm
The team played two _______ matches without a break.
1. Back to back
2. Bit by bit
3. Through and through
Jack managed to finish the daunting project ________, working diligently each day.
1. Back to back
2. Bit by bit
3. Side by side
_________, her confidence grew as she practiced speaking in public.
1. Back to back
2. One on one
3. Day by day
John’s responsibilities vary from __________, keeping his job interesting.
1. Day to day
2. End to end
3. Enough is enough
The hiking trail stretches __________ across the entire national park.
1. Day to day
2. End to end
3. Enough is enough
Jackson finally stood up and declared, "________!" after enduring repeated insults.
1. Neck and neck
2. End to end
3. Enough is enough
The community believed in justice as ___________, seeking retribution for wrongdoing.
1. An eye for an eye
2. Shoulder to shoulder
3. Through and through

2. Answers

1 - A	2 - B	3 - C	4 - A	5 - B
6 - C	7 - A	8 - B	9 - C	10 - A

PREP hopes that through the article above, you have grasped the meaning of repeated words in English and completed the exercise provided. Let’s follow PREP regularly to stay updated on helpful English knowledge!

Master Tu Pham

Founder/CEO at Prep

Founder of Prep Smart Test Preparation Platform. With over 10 years of experience in teaching and test preparation, Mr. Tú has helped thousands of students achieve high scores in the IELTS exam. In addition, Mr. Tú Phạm is also a consulting expert in British Council programs and a speaker at many leading educational events, programs, and conferences.