Alkali feldspars can often be distinguished from plagioclase feldspars because most grains of the latter exhibit albite twinning (see above Crystal structure), which is manifested by parallel lines on certain cleavage surfaces, whereas grains of alkali feldspars do not. This criterion is not, however, absolute; some plagioclase feldspars are not polysynthetically twinned. Furthermore, upon only cursory examination some perthitic textures may be mistaken for polysynthetic twinning. Fortunately, this resemblance is seldom confusing once one has thoroughly examined several examples of both features. The two features differ rather markedly: the traces of the polysynthetic twinning are straight, whereas the perthitic textures that are most likely to be mistaken for polysynthetic twinning have an interdigitated appearance.

Another property that is sometimes used to distinguish between alkali and plagioclase feldspars is their different specific gravity values. The ideal value for the potassium-rich alkali feldspars is 2.56, which is less than the lowest value for the plagioclases (namely, 2.62 for albite).

Sanidine is usually distinguished rather easily from the other alkali feldspars because it typically appears glassy—i.e., it tends to be colourless, and much of it is transparent. Microcline and orthoclase, by contrast, are characteristically white, light gray, or flesh- to salmon-coloured and subtranslucent. Except for its green variety, usually called amazonstone or amazonite, microcline can seldom be distinguished from orthoclase by macroscopic means. In the past, much microcline was misidentified as orthoclase because of the incorrect assumption that all microcline is green. Today, prudent geologists identify potassium feldspars other than sanidine simply as alkali, or in some cases potassium, feldspars when describing rocks on the basis of macroscopic examination. That is to say, they do not make a distinction between microcline and orthoclase until they have proved their identity by determining, for example, their optical properties. Upon macroscopic examination, anorthoclase is also generally identified merely as an alkali feldspar except by those who are acquainted with the rocks known to contain anorthoclase.

The rock-forming plagioclases can seldom be identified as to species by macroscopic means. Nevertheless, some rules of thumb can be employed: White or off-white plagioclase feldspars that exhibit a bluish iridescence (the so-called peristerites) have overall albite compositions, even though they are submicroscopic intergrowths of 70 percent An₂ and 30 percent An₂₅; and dark-coloured plagioclases that exhibit iridescence of such hues as blue, green, yellow, or orange are labradorites. In addition, the identities of associated minerals tend to indicate the approximate An-Ab contents of the plagioclase feldspars—for example, biotite most commonly accompanies albite or oligoclase; hornblende commonly occurs with andesine; and the pyroxenes, augite and/or hypersthene, typically accompany labradorite or bytownite. Additional characteristics for two of the feldspars are as follows: Microcline commonly exhibits “grid twinning.” This combination of two kinds of twinning, although best seen by means of a microscope equipped to use doubly polarized light, is sometimes discernible macroscopically. (Polarized refers to light that vibrates in a single plane.) Plagioclase feldspars that constitute lamellar masses in complex pegmatites are albite; this variety is often referred to by the name cleavelandite.