Clicky pen & switches
For people who click pens in meetings. A retractable pen, a metal toggle, a plastic rocker and a push button, each with its own sound, so you can click to your heart's content without bothering anyone (turn the volume down).
Clickers
Retractable pen
Two sounds per click: the latch going down, the snap coming back.
Toggle switch
A metal bat handle that snaps over centre.
Rocker switch
The duller, plastic clunk of a power switch.
Push button
A tiny micro-switch: sharp click down, softer click up.
Haptic switches
Plain on/off switches drawn by your browser. Recent iPhones give a small physical tick when you flip these, even though web pages can't vibrate otherwise.
- Clicks all time 0
Four kinds of click
Clicks sound different because different things are snapping. In a retractable pen, a little rotating cam catches and releases a spring, so you get two events close together on the way down and a separate snap when you let go. A metal toggle has a spring that flips the lever over its centre point: one bright, ringing click. A rocker switch is mostly plastic, so it clunks lower and dies away quickly. A push button usually hides a tiny micro-switch with a metal leaf that clicks very sharply and briefly. Each control on this page uses its own recipe, built from those parts each time you press.
How to use it
- Pen and push button make a sound when you press and when you let go. Hold them down to hear the two halves separately.
- Toggle and rocker click once per flip and remember their position.
- Keyboard: Tab to any control; Space or Enter clicks it. Holding Space on the pen holds the plunger down.
- Vibration: Android phones with Chrome give a short buzz per click. On iPhone, use the haptic switches row.
Why the haptic switches work on iPhone
Safari doesn't let websites make the phone vibrate. Since Safari 18 on iOS, though, a checkbox marked as a switch is drawn as a real iOS switch and gives the same single haptic tap you feel in the Settings app. Those four switches are exactly that native control, so on a supported iPhone your thumb gets a tiny tap with each flip. On other browsers they appear as ordinary checkboxes or switches, without the tap. WebKit: features in Safari 18.0 (checked 2026-10-09)
Clicking without annoying anyone
Pen clicking is famous for driving coworkers and classmates up the wall, and the reason is mostly the sound: a sharp, irregular click in a quiet room. On a screen you control that. Mute keeps every visual (the plunger still drops, the toggle still flips) and turns the sound off completely. Headphones at low volume keep the click to yourself. And the rocker switch is the quietest of the four, a soft plastic clunk rather than a snap, if you want some sound without the sharpness.
The counter at the bottom adds up every click across the four controls and the haptic switches. It's stored only in your browser, so nobody else sees how many times you clicked during that meeting.
Limits
Sound needs a first tap to start. iPhones in silent mode mute web audio unless the "Play with the silent switch on" box is ticked. The click counter lives in your own browser and resets if you clear site data.
Questions people ask
Can I click the pen without anyone hearing?
Press Mute. The pen still clicks visually, and on Android you still feel the buzz if vibration is on.
Why does the pen make two sounds?
Real retractable pens do: the latch catches on the way down and the spring snaps back as you let go. Hold the pen down to hear them apart.
My iPhone doesn't tick on the haptic switches.
The tap comes from Safari 18 or newer with system haptics turned on in Settings. Older versions show a normal switch without the tap.
Is the clicking sound a recording?
No. Every click is put together on your device from short tones and noise, a little differently each time.
Can I use this in class or at work?
There are no ads, sign-ins or chat. Keep it on mute in quiet places, or use headphones at low volume.
Can I hold the push button down?
Yes. The cap stays pressed while you hold it and clicks again, more softly, when you let go, just like a real micro-switch.
Which control is the quietest?
The rocker switch, with its low plastic clunk. The push button is the sharpest.
Do the toggle and rocker remember their position next time?
No, every visit starts with all switches off. Only the click counter is remembered, in your own browser.