How to Say “Tap” in German

Ways to say it

The verb is used to describe the action of touching something, often repeatedly. The nouns Antippen or Tippen can refer to the act of touching a button, icon or specific location on a touchscreen to trigger a function. If you are referring to a physical connection made to an electrical or fluid conductor without breaking it, the nouns Abgang or Abzweig are used instead.

Which one should you use?

While tippen is commonly used for tapping a screen, it is also the standard German word for typing on a physical keyboard. If the tapping is rhythmic or produces a sound similar to a drum, such as tapping your fingers on a table, you should use trommeln instead of tippen.

Is it said differently in some regions?

The form stippen is used specifically in Northern Germany.

Related words

Connection made to an electrical or fluid conductor without breaking it (noun): Abgang, Abzweig.

Act of touching a button, icon, or specific location on the touch screen on an electronic device such as a mobile phone to invoke a function (noun): Antippen, Tippen.

How does it change in a sentence?

The verb antippen, which is used specifically for tapping a button or icon on a touchscreen, is a separable verb. For example, you would say Ich tippe es an. The past participle of tippen is getippt.

How do you pronounce it?

/ˈtɪpən/