altered

Quotation record · reviewed 2026-08-09

“Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble.”

Circulates under William Shakespeare

Editorial status

altered

The witches in Macbeth say ‘Double, double’, not ‘Bubble, bubble’. The altered first word has become a durable popular misquotation.

Double, double, toil and trouble.

Earliest traceable appearance in this record: 1606, Macbeth, act 4, scene 1.

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