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    Shared Matches: Related or Not?

    Oct 20, 2020 5 minutes
    —Diahan Southard

    Q Is it possible some of the shared matches in my list aren’t really related to each other?

    A First of all: What are shared matches? The shared matches tool is offered by all testing companies, and lets you view a list of all DNA matches who share DNA with you as well as your match.

    Sound complicated? Let’s look at an example. Say you’re looking at the shared matches list for you and your match Denise, and you see two shared matches: Yolanda and William. You and Denise each share DNA with both Yolanda and William, so it’s a reasonable guess that you, Denise, Yolanda and William all share a common ancestor with each other.

    So, for example, if knew that you and Denise are second cousins through your great-grandparents Harold and Hilda, be related to you somehow through Harold and Hilda.

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