Meaning & use
tildes
Last updated
“tildes” is a form of “tilde”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nouncountable
the mark ~, used in writing and printing for various purposes.
Grammar: Countable: one tilde, two tildes. Often used in technical or language contexts.
Patterns
- a tilde over a letter
- put a tilde
- the tilde key
In Spanish, the letter ñ is written with a tilde over the n.
You can type a tilde by pressing Shift and the key above Tab.
The dictionary uses a tilde to avoid repeating the headword.
nouncountablecomputingmathematics
a symbol used in mathematics and computing to mean 'approximately' or 'not'.
Grammar: In computing, ~ often stands for a user's home directory or means 'not' in logic.
Patterns
- tilde operator
- tilde symbol
- use a tilde
In some programming languages, ~ means bitwise NOT.
The tilde before a number shows it is approximate.
You can refer to your home folder as ~ on many systems.
Word forms
| singular | tilde |
|---|
Common combinations
- tilde key
- Press the tilde key to open the console.
- a tilde over
- There's a tilde over the letter an in that word.
- tilde symbol
- The tilde symbol is often used in chat to mean 'approximately'.
- with a tilde
- Write the Spanish word with a tilde on the n.
Synonyms and how they differ
- squiggle
- Squiggle is an informal word for any wavy line; tilde is the specific mark ~.
Word family
- tilde noun
- singular form
Commonly confused: tildes or tilda?
tildes vs tilda
'Tilda' is a name, not the mark. The symbol is spelled 'tilde'.
Practice
In Spanish, the letter ñ is written with a ______ over the n.
Choose one answer.
The wavy mark over ñ is called a tilde. A hyphen is a short straight line; an apostrophe is a punctuation mark; an umlaut is two dots over a vowel.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tildes”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.