TTY

6 synonyms for TTY, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — A text terminal on a computer, especially the terminal device or console session that a Unix or Linux system uses for keyboard input and text output.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

terminal

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

console

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

shell session textphone TDD minicom

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun technical

A text terminal on a computer, especially the terminal device or console session that a Unix or Linux system uses for keyboard input and text output.

“Run 'tty' and it will print the name of the terminal you are currently using, such as /dev/pts/0.”

terminal console shell session

2. noun

A device that lets a person who is deaf, hard of hearing or speech-impaired send and receive typed messages over a telephone line.

“The helpline lists a separate TTY number for deaf callers.”

textphone TDD minicom

How to use TTY

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

TTY device allocate a TTY no TTY present TTY relay service

Technical jargon in computing; in accessibility contexts it is standard, official vocabulary.

Etymology

An abbreviation of teletypewriter, the early printing terminal that connected to a computer or telephone line.

Full origin of TTY →

Frequently asked questions

What does TTY stand for?

It stands for teletypewriter. The original machines were electromechanical typewriters that sent and received text down a wire, and the name stuck for the software terminals that replaced them.

What is the difference between TTY and PTY?

A TTY is the general idea of a terminal device, historically a real piece of hardware. A PTY, or pseudo-terminal, is a software emulation of one, which is what you are using whenever you open a terminal window or connect over SSH.

Why do scripts complain about 'no TTY'?

Some commands need an interactive terminal, for example to hide a password as you type it. When they run from a cron job, a pipeline or a container without a terminal attached, there is no TTY and the command refuses or fails.

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Nearby words

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