Upper housing: This is the part of the switch that contains the spring and rests on top of the lower housing.Tactile & clicky switches have a small bump on their stems! Linear switches do not. The stem is generally colored to match the switch color. Switch stem: This is the part of the switch that extends down into the switch and moves up and down when you press the keycap (it’s connected to the underside of the keycap).
![tactile vs linear vs clicky for gaming tactile vs linear vs clicky for gaming](https://justgestures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Tactile-Vs-Linear-Vs-Clicky-Switches-1024x512.jpg)
They’re usually made from ABS or PBT plastic, and come in tons of different colors & styles! (and shapes and profiles)
![tactile vs linear vs clicky for gaming tactile vs linear vs clicky for gaming](https://justgestures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Tactical-vs-Linear-Switches-768x351.jpg)
The click doesn’t affect how the switch operates. A clicky switch is a specific type of tactile switch (that has a small bump but with the addition of another mechanism that provides a very small “click” noise.A linear switch, by contrast, does not have a tactile bump within the switch mechanism, so the key press is smooth until the entire key has been pressed down (called “bottoming out”).This bump provides “tactile feedback” to your finger, helping you “feel” when the key has actually registered to the computer. A tactile keyboard switch is one that has a small “bump” feel part of the way through the key press.
![tactile vs linear vs clicky for gaming tactile vs linear vs clicky for gaming](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MbL9j06siA0/maxresdefault.jpg)
Getting into mechanical keyboards, but overwhelmed by switch terminology? What IS a tactile switch keyboard?