tracking

Following where someone or something goes, or recording how it changes over time.

• The parcel has online tracking.
• Satellite tracking showed where the ship had gone.
• Our app allows tracking of your daily spending.

How to use it: tracking of someone/something (The tracking of wild birds helps researchers understand their journeys.)

Similar words: monitoring

Common phrases: tracking system, tracking of something, satellite tracking

The adjustment of spaces between all the letters in a piece of text.

• Increase the tracking in this heading.
• The designer adjusted the tracking to improve readability.
• Too much tracking makes the words look disconnected.

Similar words: letter spacing

Common phrases: adjust tracking, increase tracking, tight tracking

Separating students into teaching groups according to how able they are thought to be.

• The school uses tracking for mathematics.
• Some parents oppose tracking in primary schools.
• Tracking placed her in a class with stronger readers.

Similar words: ability grouping, streaming

Common phrases: ability tracking, academic tracking, tracking in schools

Keeping two or more signals matched in time or in how they change.

• The circuit maintains tracking between the signals.
• Poor tracking caused the two outputs to drift apart.
• Engineers measured tracking while the signal frequency changed.

Similar words: synchronization

Common phrases: signal tracking, phase tracking, accurate tracking