What type of triangle has two equal sides?

A triangle with two equal sides is specifically classified as an isosceles triangle. This type of triangle has two sides that are of the same length, which results in two angles being equal as well. The defining characteristic of an isosceles triangle is this equality in side lengths, which leads to specific geometric properties that are useful in various applications, such as determining height or area.

In contrast, an equilateral triangle has three equal sides, and therefore all angles are also equal, making it a special case that includes isosceles triangles but is not limited to just two equal sides. A scalene triangle is characterized by having all sides of different lengths and thus no equal angles. A right triangle is defined by having one angle that is exactly 90 degrees, but it does not necessarily have any sides that are equal. Therefore, the term that best describes a triangle with precisely two equal sides is isosceles.