tactile, tactual, textile

These "look-alikes" are often confused and with good reason, too, because tactile and tactual are close in meaning and use. Tactile and tactual refer to the sense of touch, with tactual being the somewhat more general and more generally used word. Tactile means "endowed with the sense of touch"; tactual means "arising from, or due to, touch," "communicating the sensation of contact": "The paws of a dog are extremely tactile. '" "A kiss is usually an enjoyable tactual experience." Textile means cloth or fabric that is woven or knitted of fiber and yarn. As an adjective, textile applies to the manufacture of textiles."Cotton is a popular textile." "All these persons are employees of the local textile mill."