backtick
/ˈbæk.tɪk/
backtick noun: the symbol `, resembling a reversed quotation mark and also being, or being homoglyphic to (depending on mental model), a grave accent mark in isolation. (Common uses include (1) use as a dead key in composing grave-accented characters, (2) use as an escape character to mark literals, and (3) many other uses as defined by contexts.).
Noun
backtick (plural backticks)
- The symbol `, resembling a reversed quotation mark and also being, or being homoglyphic to (depending on mental model), a grave accent mark in isolation. (Common uses include (1) use as a dead key in composing grave-accented characters, (2) use as an escape character to mark literals, and (3) many other uses as defined by contexts.)
- The backtick acts like the double-quote operator.2000, Lincoln D Stein, Network Programming with Perl
- Synonyms:
- backquote
Synonyms of backtick
Forms of backtick
| plural | backticks |
|---|
Origin of backtick
From back + tick.
Words formed from backtick
Words that rhyme with backtick
- galactic
- didactic
- prophylactic
- tactic
- lactic
- nongalactic
- phonotactic
- syntactic
- chiropractic
- factic
- graphotactic
- nonprophylactic
1 more rhymesFewer rhymes
Questions about backtick
- What does backtick mean?
- Backtick means the symbol `, resembling a reversed quotation mark and also being, or being homoglyphic to (depending on mental model), a grave accent mark in isolation. (Common uses include (1) use as a dead key in composing grave-accented characters, (2) use as an escape character to mark literals, and (3) many other uses as defined by contexts.).
- What part of speech is backtick?
- Backtick is a noun.
- How do you pronounce backtick?
- Backtick is pronounced /ˈbæk.tɪk/.
- What is the plural of backtick?
- The plural of backtick is backticks.
Words near backtick in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: backtick (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-uk-backtick.ogg.
Cite this entry: “backtick.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/backtick. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.