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## 3.2.10 Referring to home directories

Under both `tcsh` and `bash`, your home directory can be referred to using the tilde character (```~`''). For example, the command

`/home/larry# more ~/papers/history-final`

is equivalent to

`/home/larry# more /home/larry/papers/history-final`

The ```~`'' character is simply replaced with the name of your home directory by the shell.

In addition, you can specify other user's home directories with the tilde as well. The pathname ```~karl/letters`'' translates to ```/home/karl/letters`'' by the shell (if `/home/karl` is karl's home directory). The use of the tilde is simply a shortcut; there is no directory named ```~`''---it's just syntactic sugar provided by the shell.

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