Why is a Twix called a ‘Twix’?

(NEXSTAR) – Ask any American what’s inside a Twix bar, and they’d be quick to respond with the answer: chocolate, caramel and a couple of long cookies.

But ask those same people what “Twix” actually means, and they might be a bit baffled.

Early commercials

The Twix bar, somewhat confusingly, debuted as the Raider bar when it was launched in the U.K. in 1967. A little over a decade later, Mars introduced the very same bar as a Twix to the American market — and in 1991, the “Raider” branding was officially retired worldwide in favor of Twix.

Even then, little explanation was provided for the name “Twix” in early TV commercials. U.S. marketing campaigns (reasonably) focused more on the elements of the bar (and especially its “cookie crunch”) rather than its name. Some commercials even advertised Twix as having a “mix” of flavors, perhaps satisfying a few curious viewers with the rhyming wordplay.

Theories

Some candy consumers have come to their own conclusions over the years. Among them, several theorized that “Twix” was short for “betwixt” or “between,” seeing as the bars are “between a cookie and a candy bar.” Another seemed to believe Twix, often sold in packages containing two pieces, is an allusion to the candies being “broken in twix.”

In the U.K., fans have also claimed “Twix” is a portmanteau of the words “twin” and “biscuits,” the latter being the word for a crunchy cookie across the pond.

Those are all decent guesses, but it’s the last one that comes the closest.

What does Twix actually mean?

The people at Twix have confirmed the name is indeed a portmanteau, but it’s not quite a combination of “twin” and “biscuits.”

“It’s short for ‘twin sticks,’” the brand’s official X account wrote in response to a follower’s question in 2018.

There were at least a few other clues along the way. Early packages of Twix contained the words “twin bars” underneath the logo, according to commercials and trade advertisements. Also, in recent years, Twix has been described on the brand’s social media accounts as a “stick”–shaped candy, or “twin sticks.”

Despite the brand’s official explanation, some fans still disapprove of the usage of the word “Twix,” especially when it’s printed on fun-size or mini packages containing only one of the so-called “twin sticks.”

“Surely this can’t be called a Twix?” one Reddit user wrote in reference to a photo of a Twix candy in an individual package. Others agreed, and suggested the single-stick Twix be referred to as a “Twone,” or, more popularly, a “Twik.”

“This is the answer,” another user wrote of the latter suggestion. [It’s] how my family has referred to a single Twik/Twix for as long as I can remember.”