Word Usage – Difference Between ‘Click On’, ‘Click’, ‘Tap’, ‘Press It Down’, ‘Press’, ‘Hold It Down’, and ‘Hit’

word-usage

I have a few questions.

Say I'm teaching someone how to do something on their phone, let's say there are a ton of options on this person's phone and I have to tell them to choose one of the options with their fingers, and let's say sometimes I also need to tell this person to hold down this or that option or press down on this or that for a few seconds so other options will pop up (Are you still following?). Say I gotta tell this person to select one of the options very quickly what should I say?

Can you please tap on/tap that option?
Hit on/hit that option?
Click on that option?
Click this option?

Is to hold down and to press down on even right? or is it more common to say "press and hold this option"?

Is there a need for a preposition (ON) to indicate where the person needs to go for words such as "hit, click, tap"?

Best Answer

For a touch-screen interface, you generally use the verb tap or sometimes touch, while press and click are more often associated with finger-initiated mechanical movement (like a mouse button).

It is correct to use either tap or tap on, but tap without the preposition is probably more common (and more concise):

Tap the icon that looks like an envelope to open your email.

If you need them to hold their finger to the screen, then tap and hold will usually work, or even better might be touch and hold, since "tap" has the implication of being a quick action:

Touch and hold the icon that looks like an envelope to open the options menu.

Some people use the term long tap, but that's UX jargon that shouldn't be used with the general public unless you specifically define the term. It would be appropriate for a software specification written for a user interface developer, who would be expected to know the jargon:

Long tap should open the options menu.

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