tic
/ˈtɪk/
noun
Familiar
1.n.a local and habitual twitching especially in the face
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tic and tick are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. tic means “a local and habitual twitching especially in the face”. tick means “a metallic tapping sound”. tick is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈtɪk/
1.n.a local and habitual twitching especially in the face
/ˈtɪk/
1.n.a metallic tapping sound
“he counted the ticks of the clock”
| tic | tick | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈtɪk/ | /ˈtɪk/ |
| Said | tik | tik |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 3 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | noun | noun, verb |
| Senses | 1 | 8 |
| How common | Familiar | Common |
| Synonyms | none recorded | ticking |
2.n.any of two families of small parasitic arachnids with barbed proboscis; feed on blood of warm-blooded animals
3.n.a mark indicating that something has been noted or completed etc.
“as he called the role he put a check mark by each student's name”