“tap on the button” vs “tap the button”
“tap on the button” vs “tap the button”
I am trying to figure out which term to use when writing a "help text" or giving messages to the user on an app.
Should I say:
tap on the button
tap the item OR
tap on the item
tap the word OR
2 Answers
2
Either is acceptable. The first, however, is simpler; in this case, the 'on' is understood, and therefore redundant. Someone would normally tap on an icon, word, link, etc., unless there was a reason they would expect to be tapping above, or below, or beside it. In this case, since a tap of an element is normally understood to be a tap on the element, the extra word is redundant.
True. Context here, though, is computing/app development. In that context, tap/tap on would be understood identically.
– JCAT606
Aug 29 at 17:56
Agreed that it is probably obvious, but it's still worth pointing out. Someone could be working on a beer-themed lifestyle app where "tap the barrel" might be ambiguous to some of the target audience.
– GrandOpener
Aug 29 at 20:20
All of the above options are fine - omitting 'on' is more concise though.
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Bear in mind that to tap can also signify either to draw liquid from or to exploit a resource . So to tap someone's head and to tap someone's brains are not the same thing. Nor are tapping a barrel and tapping on a barrel. google.com/…
– Ronald Sole
Aug 29 at 16:01