Preteens

The word preteen describes a child. The neologism tween has the same meaning, and isn't in general use as either a colloquial or scientific term. This word comes from the age being between that of a child and a teenager, and perhaps it has also been inspired by the first sounds of numeral twelve and the similarity to teen.

Preteens are increasingly a specifically targeted market segment by business, because they tend to maintain the preferences they develop at this age. Even mobile phones are targeted toward this group.

The definiton of when being a preteen is argued, as the term "pre" is ambiguous, however, it is generally said that being a preteen begins at age 10 and ends at age 13, at which point the child becomes teenager.