Toggle is a common user interface element that delivers clear results and can make a big difference in the usability of your site or app. Ensure toggles clearly indicate their state with direct labels, standard visual design, and use of movement. When deciding how to implement toggles on your site or app, consider your audience and evaluate cultural and societal context. For example, using the color red for on/off states may be counterintuitive to users in some cultures.

Toggles are often used to update preferences and settings. They are also found in hardware, such as the keyboard’s caps lock or num lock keys, which turn on a function and then off it when pressed again. In software, toggles are often seen in options menus, where each option has an on or off state.

Historically, the word toggle was used to describe a pin passed through an eye or loop in a chain or rope to bind it temporarily to another. Today, we still use the word figuratively, such as to toggle back and forth between tasks or screens while video chatting with two people at once.

Toggle is a great word to add to your vocabulary, especially since it’s a versatile verb and noun. Whether you’re looking for new terms to describe your product or writing an article, Toggle is here to help.