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Unprecedented mechanical properties of the novel TWIP/TRIP titanium alloys are controlled by [Formula: see text][Formula: see text] twinning and stress-induced martensitic transformation, which can operate separately, simultaneously or even in synergy, following a still unclear atomic-scale mechanism. Using ab initio calculations and experimental observations, we show that [Formula: see text][Formula: see text] twinning can be described as a polymorphic solid-state transformation able to produce either twinned or martensitic structures with a unified transformation path. The required lattice strains and atomic shuffles are provided by the shear-shuffle mechanism of twin operation, of which trajectory, due to accompanied atomic relaxation, is not linear and strongly influenced by β phase stability.