tic-tac-toe

The "c" in tic, tac, or both may be replaced with a "ck" or with a "t":

• tick-tack-toe; tick-tat-toe; tit-tat-toe, etc.

The phrase, or one of the above variations, may be presented without hyphens:

• tic tac toe; tick tat toe; tit tat toe, etc.

Imitative; from tick-tack, used earlier to denote games in which the pieces made clicking sounds.[1]

A completed game of tic tac toe, in which the person playing "O" has won.

tic-tac-toe (uncountable)

1. (games) A game in which two players take turns placing circles and crosses on a 3x3 grid and attempt to obtain three of the same symbols in a straight line.

• noughts and crosses or naughts and crosses (chiefly British)
• X's and O's (UK, Ireland)
• exie-osies (Northern Ireland)