I'm launching a project which I want to make big as possible. I want to find a name, but I'm not looking for any real meanings. This project is a web tool (Javascript prototype & API) so I want to give it an English name. The tool will have a lot of "~" key, so I'm trying to find a word that matches the representation of this symbole. This is how I came up with "Wobble", however it's maybe too metaphoric because "Wobble" doesn't really mean "wave" right?

Is wobble a negative word? Which word could match the tilde and which sounds positive beside "wave"?


  • 5
    Is a table wobbles, it is unstable. If I drink too much alcohol I may wobble on my feet and fall over. A voice wobbles when the person is near to tears. Yep, wobble is not exactly a positive term. – Mari-Lou A May 2 '16 at 10:34
  • 11
    I don't really see a problem with "Wobble" as a product name. It's got an amusing sound to it and would provoke a smile in most people. – Hot Licks May 2 '16 at 11:52
  • 8
    Weebles wobble (but they don't fall down). – Scimonster May 2 '16 at 18:02
  • 1
    That really all depends, how is the symbol being used in the context of the applicaiton? – Taegost May 2 '16 at 18:12
  • 3
    @G.Ann-SonarSourceTeam and my son used to love saying "wibbly-wobbly" for my bouncy bits :) (when he was a small child, I hasten to add!) – Mari-Lou A May 2 '16 at 18:25

This may be somewhat opinion based, but I don't think that wobble is negative-sounding in and of itself. I think it is fun and silly, in a good way - and it seems to strike the right tone for a web tool, as these often do have silly names (such as 'Pyjamas' or 'Mustache').

Positive meanings of wobble are found in the wobbling of a jelly, or a musical wobble board - and musician Jah Wobble chose it as a name that "people would never forget".

I would think that calling a software tool 'wobble' would only be negative if the tool starts to get a reputation for being unreliable - but of course you are going to make sure that doesn't happen, aren't you?

| improve this answer | |
  • Also, "wibbly wobbly timey wimey". – jpmc26 May 3 '16 at 9:16

I think you should go with something more neutral. It is clear from the other responses that "Wobble" can be seen as positive or negative. So I think you should try moving towards something like:


noun noun: squiggle; plural noun: squiggles 1. a short line that curls and loops in an irregular way. "some prescriptions are a series of meaningless squiggles"

synonyms: wavy line, doodle

| improve this answer | |

To me 'wobble' does have a bit of a negative connotation, as a wobble is typically something to be avoided, although in some cases, it could also be somewhat endearing. It's a bit like 'toddle' in that respect.

On a side note, given the actual name of the ~ character, I'm going to go the less literal and slightly punnier route, and suggest the actual name "Matilda".

| improve this answer | |
  • I like Matilda, I'd add a suggestion for Matilde, or maTilde if you want to play with formatting. – SuperBiasedMan May 3 '16 at 8:52

Depending on the type of product Wobble can have a meaning of either funny or unsturdy/off balance.

If you have a table or a chair that wobbles, people see that negatively.

If you have a ball or other toy that wobbles, it makes it more fun.

Since you are making a tool, wobble might not be appropriate to use as a product name in this case.

Two good words I can think of that might correspond to the ~ symbol would be ripple or corkscrew. Either one puts forth a more positive image.

| improve this answer | |

To help provide a modern contextual background in support of the name Wobble, I want to highlight that the word wobble has actually received a significant positive connotation in certain cultural subsets. Most famously in the past decade (and underground for a decade and change before that) a genre of music has been evolving that actually centers around something called a "bass wobble".

You may have heard of Dubstep, and may or may not find it annoying or intolerable, but that is neither here nor there. The point is that a large section of the population has a very positive emotional affect to the word wobble and to them it typically elicits good feelings, happiness, and perhaps even euphoria. On that grounds, I believe that the word wobble is about as good a choice for a development tool as windows or apple is for an operating system.

After all, though a table can wobble, a person can be defenestrated, and Eve or the wicked stepmother can ruin your life with an apple, so who's to say which is positive and which is negative?

| improve this answer | |

The character on the key is the tilde character, and is part of a Spanish character, ñ. In Spanish, the ñ character is pronounced just like an "n" followed by a consonant "y" as in "señor" (mister/sir) or "mañana" (tomorrow).

Though if you're afraid your audience might not know that the word "tilde" refers to that symbol, I might suggest:



  1. a short, irregular curve or twist, as in writing or drawing.

It's informal but it's a better match than wobble, which is generally thought of as a verb or motion, while squiggle is generally thought of as a noun that refers to a curvy, twisty line--a pretty decent description of the tilde character.

| improve this answer | |
  • 2
    Some people also refer to this symbol as a "twiddle". – Era May 2 '16 at 19:32

Ripple might be a good subsitute.

Another interesting way to describe it could be "Sine" as the tilde closely approximates a Sine wave

| improve this answer | |
