Comparison
Double Top vs Triple Top
A triple top is a double top with one more failed test of the same high. Both are bearish reversals that confirm when price closes below the lows between the peaks. The third test makes the resistance more obvious, but it also means the pattern takes longer to form and more traders are watching the same level.
Double Top
bearish bias
A double top forms when price rallies to a high, pulls back, rallies to roughly the same high again and fails. The low between the two peaks is the line that confirms the reversal when it breaks.
Triple Top
bearish bias
A triple top shows price failing three times at roughly the same high. Each rejection adds evidence that sellers are defending the level, and the pattern confirms when price breaks below the lows between the peaks.
Side by side
| Aspect | Double Top | Triple Top |
|---|---|---|
| Tests of resistance | Two | Three |
| Confirmation line | The one low between the peaks | Support through the two lows between the three peaks |
| Time to form | Shorter | Longer, which often makes it a range before it is a reversal |
| Common failure | A third push that breaks the highs | Price breaking out of the top of what was really a range |
How to tell them apart on a chart
- Count how many times price reached the same high and turned down before breaking support.
- If the lows between the peaks are at different heights, draw the support line through both before deciding where confirmation is.
- A triple top that has not broken support is just a range with resistance. Wait for the close below.
Double Top: confirmation and invalidation
Confirms: A close below the swing low between the two peaks confirms the pattern. Before that, it is only a possible double top.
Invalidated: A clean close above both peaks invalidates it and often turns the area into a breakout instead.
Triple Top: confirmation and invalidation
Confirms: A close below the support line formed by the pullback lows.
Invalidated: A sustained close above the three peaks invalidates the pattern.
Frequently asked questions
Is a triple top stronger than a double top?
It shows resistance was defended one more time, but that does not make the break more likely. What matters is a decisive close below support.
How is the target measured on a triple top?
The usual method is the height from the peaks to the support line, projected down from the breakout point, the same as a double top.
Full guides
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Educational content only, not financial advice. Chart patterns describe probabilities, not certainties, and every pattern can fail. See our disclaimer.