# TT

**TT** (lowercase **tt**) is a two-letter sequence with several distinct uses: it is the [ISO 639-1](https://www.edgepedia.org/iso-639-1) language code for Tatar, an abbreviation for Tourist Trophy, an approved British abbreviation for Trust Territories, and a common way of writing a doubled or geminate consonant in alphabetic orthographies.

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Language code | `tt` is the ISO 639-1 code for Tatar; the ISO 639-2 code is `tat` <sup>[1](https://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/php/code_list-utf8.php)</sup> |
| Tatar scripts | Tatar is historically written in Arabic, Latin, and Cyrillic scripts, and is primarily written in Cyrillic today <sup>[2](https://localizely.com/language-code/tt/)</sup> |
| Abbreviation | TT stands for Tourist Trophy in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary <sup>[3](https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/tt)</sup> |
| British abbreviation | tt abbreviates Trust Territories, approved especially for use with zip codes <sup>[4](https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/tt)</sup> |
| English spelling | Few words other than proper names end in tt; cited examples include watt, mitt, putt, and butt <sup>[5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/literature-and-arts/language-linguistics-and-literary-terms/language-and-linguistics/t)</sup> |

## Language code for Tatar

In the [ISO 639](https://www.edgepedia.org/iso-639) language-code system, the two-letter code `tt` identifies the [Tatar language](https://www.edgepedia.org/tatar-language), with the three-letter code `tat` used in the [ISO 639-2](https://www.edgepedia.org/iso-639-2) list <sup>[1](https://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/php/code_list-utf8.php)</sup>. Tatar, classified in the Kipchak-Bulgar branch of the Turkic family, has historically been written in Arabic, Latin, and Cyrillic scripts, and is primarily written in Cyrillic today, although Latin-script use has a historical record <sup>[2](https://localizely.com/language-code/tt/)</sup>. The language is also characterized by strong vowel harmony governing word formation and by the phoneme ң /ŋ/, a velar nasal absent from many European languages <sup>[2](https://localizely.com/language-code/tt/)</sup>.

In computing contexts the code appears with script subtags, such as `tt-latn` for Tatar written in the [Latin script](https://www.edgepedia.org/latin-script) <sup>[6](https://as.wikisource.org/wiki/Module%3ALanguageCodes)</sup>.

## Abbreviations

As a capitalized abbreviation, **TT** is given in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary as standing for Tourist Trophy <sup>[3](https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/tt)</sup>. In [British English](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-english), the lowercase **tt** is an abbreviation for Trust Territories, a form approved especially for use with zip codes <sup>[4](https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/tt)</sup>.

## Doubled t in orthography and phonetics

Many alphabetic orthographies write a geminate, or long, consonant by doubling the letter, so that a single t and a doubled tt distinguish two pronunciations.

In English spelling, tt appears in a limited set of environments. Few words other than proper names end in tt: *watt* originated in the proper name Watt; *mitt* is a clipped form of mitten; *putt* originated as a Scottish variant of put; and *butt* (noun) may have retained the double t so as to be distinguished from *but* <sup>[5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/literature-and-arts/language-linguistics-and-literary-terms/language-and-linguistics/t)</sup>.

## References

1. [ISO 639-2 Language Code List, Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/php/code_list-utf8.php)
2. [Language code: tt, Localizely](https://localizely.com/language-code/tt/)
3. [TT, Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary](https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/tt)
4. [tt definition and meaning, Collins English Dictionary](https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/tt)
5. [T, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/literature-and-arts/language-linguistics-and-literary-terms/language-and-linguistics/t)
6. [Module:LanguageCodes, Wikisource](https://as.wikisource.org/wiki/Module%3ALanguageCodes)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Languages and linguistics › Writing and notation systems › Latin script*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*

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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license