“tap on the button” vs “tap the button”

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2
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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 the button OR



• tap on the button




• tap the item OR




• tap on the item




• tap the word OR



• tap on the word

word-usage prepositions

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edited Aug 29 at 15:41

Eddie Kal

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asked Aug 29 at 15:36

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up vote
2
down vote

favorite

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 the button OR



• tap on the button




• tap the item OR




• tap on the item




• tap the word OR



• tap on the word

word-usage prepositions

share|improve this question

edited Aug 29 at 15:41

Eddie Kal

3,88421439

asked Aug 29 at 15:36

live-love

1135

add a comment | 

up vote
2
down vote

favorite

up vote
2
down vote

favorite

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 the button OR



• tap on the button




• tap the item OR




• tap on the item




• tap the word OR



• tap on the word

word-usage prepositions

share|improve this question

edited Aug 29 at 15:41

Eddie Kal

3,88421439

asked Aug 29 at 15:36

live-love

1135

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 the button OR



• tap on the button




• tap the item OR




• tap on the item




• tap the word OR



• tap on the word

word-usage prepositions

share|improve this question

edited Aug 29 at 15:41

Eddie Kal

3,88421439

asked Aug 29 at 15:36

live-love

1135

share|improve this question

share|improve this question

edited Aug 29 at 15:41

Eddie Kal

3,88421439

edited Aug 29 at 15:41

Eddie Kal

3,88421439

edited Aug 29 at 15:41

Eddie Kal

3,88421439

3,88421439

asked Aug 29 at 15:36

live-love

1135

asked Aug 29 at 15:36

live-love

1135

asked Aug 29 at 15:36

live-love

1135

1135

add a comment | 

add a comment | 

2 Answers
2

active

oldest

votes

up vote
4
down vote



accepted

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.

share|improve this answer

answered Aug 29 at 15:51

JCAT606

912

• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  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
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  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
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

up vote
0
down vote

All of the above options are fine - omitting 'on' is more concise though.

share|improve this answer

answered Aug 29 at 15:47

Jeremy Feng

424

add a comment | 

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2 Answers
2

active

oldest

votes

2 Answers
2

active

oldest

votes

active

oldest

votes

active

oldest

votes

up vote
4
down vote



accepted

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.

share|improve this answer

answered Aug 29 at 15:51

JCAT606

912

• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  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
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  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
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

up vote
4
down vote



accepted

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.

share|improve this answer

answered Aug 29 at 15:51

JCAT606

912

• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  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
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  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
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

up vote
4
down vote



accepted

up vote
4
down vote



accepted

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.

share|improve this answer

answered Aug 29 at 15:51

JCAT606

912

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.

share|improve this answer

answered Aug 29 at 15:51

JCAT606

912

share|improve this answer

share|improve this answer

answered Aug 29 at 15:51

JCAT606

912

answered Aug 29 at 15:51

JCAT606

912

answered Aug 29 at 15:51

JCAT606

912

912

• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  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
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  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
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  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
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  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
  

  
  
  
  

2

2

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

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

True. Context here, though, is computing/app development. In that context, tap/tap on would be understood identically.
– JCAT606
Aug 29 at 17:56

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

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

add a comment | 

up vote
0
down vote

All of the above options are fine - omitting 'on' is more concise though.

share|improve this answer

answered Aug 29 at 15:47

Jeremy Feng

424

add a comment | 

up vote
0
down vote

All of the above options are fine - omitting 'on' is more concise though.

share|improve this answer

answered Aug 29 at 15:47

Jeremy Feng

424

add a comment | 

up vote
0
down vote

up vote
0
down vote

All of the above options are fine - omitting 'on' is more concise though.

share|improve this answer

answered Aug 29 at 15:47

Jeremy Feng

424

All of the above options are fine - omitting 'on' is more concise though.

share|improve this answer

answered Aug 29 at 15:47

Jeremy Feng

424

share|improve this answer

share|improve this answer

answered Aug 29 at 15:47

Jeremy Feng

424

answered Aug 29 at 15:47

Jeremy Feng

424

answered Aug 29 at 15:47

Jeremy Feng

424

424

add a comment | 

add a comment | 

 

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