What does checkmark mean?
A checkmark is the small symbol (✓) used to show that something on a list or form has been verified, completed, or approved. It appears constantly in everyday life: on to-do lists, exam papers, ballots, inspection forms, and — perhaps most ubiquitously — in computer interfaces, where a green checkmark signals a successful action or a task finished. The word is a straightforward compound of "check" (in the sense of verifying) and "mark," reflecting exactly what the symbol does: it marks what has been checked. In British English, speakers more often say "tick" for the same symbol, making "checkmark" the distinctly American-flavored term, though it is widely understood everywhere. Neutral in tone and instantly recognizable, the checkmark carries connotations of order, progress, and accomplishment — there is a quiet satisfaction in drawing one, and modern productivity apps have turned it into an emblem of getting things done.
nounA mark (✓) placed next to an item to indicate that it has been checked, verified, completed, or approved.
- A mark (✓) used to indicate that something has been checked off, completed, or approved on a list or form.
- (Computing) A graphical icon representing confirmation or completion in software interfaces.
"She glanced down the list and drew a checkmark beside each completed task."
"Each correct answer earned a satisfying green checkmark on the screen."
"The auditor placed a checkmark next to every document she had reviewed."
Standard plural; used when referring to multiple marks on a list or interface.
"The spreadsheet filled up with green checkmarks as each task was completed."
The humble ✓ has become so universal that entire user interfaces are built around it — yet it only entered English dictionaries as its own word relatively recently, as a compound of two older words.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of checkmark
The word "checkmark" combines "check," from the sense of checking off items on a list (ultimately from Old French "eschequier," related to the chessboard pattern used in accounting records), with "mark," from Old English "mearc." The compound arose naturally in English as the practice of marking completed items on lists became widespread, likely gaining currency in the nineteenth or early twentieth century alongside bureaucratic and commercial record-keeping. It is closely related to the British term "tick," which serves the identical function.
How checkmark is actually used
In British English, "tick" is more commonly used than "checkmark" for the same symbol. The word is informal-to-neutral in register and is frequently seen in educational, business, and digital-interface contexts. It is typically written as one unhyphenated word, though "check mark" (two words) is also accepted.
Easily confused with checkmark
"Check" can refer to the act of verifying, a bill at a restaurant, or a bank cheque, while "checkmark" specifically means the ✓ symbol itself.