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Crypto Basics

Fungible

Definition

Interchangeable. A fungible asset is identical and can be exchanged one-for-one with another unit of the same asset. One Bitcoin equals another Bitcoin. Contrast with non-fungible (unique) assets like NFTs.

Why It Matters

Understanding fungibility helps you grasp the difference between regular cryptocurrencies and NFTs, and why some assets are treated as commodities while others represent unique ownership.

Example

Your 1 ETH is identical to someone else's 1 ETH — fully fungible. But a specific NFT artwork is unique and non-fungible.

Related Terms

NFT
Token
ERC-20
ERC-721