Editing Keyboard terminology (section)

===Clicky switch===
A '''[[clicky]]''' switch is designed to emit a sound when it actuates. While all keys make some sound when they are struck, a clicky switch is one that generates a separate, deliberate sound to notify the operator that the keystroke was registered. A '''clicky keyboard''' is a keyboard with clicky switches; keyboards that do not click but nonetheless have a crisp and distinct or simply loud typing sound (which is frequently the case with old keyboards due to the metal construction inside) are often incorrectly described as "clicky" by people not familiar with intentionally clicky keyboards.

Because click mechanisms use a spring that must be primed and triggered, there is always a drop in force at the point that the click is heard. That is, all clicky switches are also tactile. It is possible for the keyboard itself (not the switches) to generate sound separately (using a buzzer or solenoid) without affecting the feel of switches, but "clicky" keyboards refer to keyboards where the switches themselves produce the sound.

Clicky switches are generally more tactile than switches designed to be tactile without making a noise, but the extra sound on top of what is often an already loud keyboard is not always desirable.