Tilde - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

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SKIP TO CONTENT tilde /ˈtɪldə/ /ˈtɪldə/ IPA guide

Other forms: tildes

A tilde is a character on a keyboard that looks like a wavy line (~). The Spanish alphabet has 27 letters instead of the English 26, because it includes both n and ñ, each of which is pronounced differently.

The tilde has other uses as well. It is a diacritical mark in other languages, such as Portuguese, but it is also used in logic and math. When you put a tilde before a number, for example, you're saying that the number is approximate. If you wanted to say that your club had about $1,500 in the bank, you could use a tilde to write that the club had ~$1,500.

Definitions of tilde

noun a diacritical mark (~) placed over the letter n in Spanish to indicate a palatal nasal sound or over a vowel in Portuguese to indicate nasalization see moresee less type of: diacritic, diacritical mark a mark added to a letter to indicate a special pronunciation

Pronunciation US /ˈtɪldə/ UK /ˈtɪldə/ Cite this entry Style: MLA

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Copy citation DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘tilde'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback Word Family 2 million people are mastering new words. Master a word

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