Ticks vary in size depending on their life stage and species. Adult ticks are typically about the size of an apple seed or a freckle, roughly 3 to 5 mm (about 1/8 inch to 3/8 inch) long before feeding

. Nymphs are smaller, about the size of a poppy seed or the head of a pin, around 1 to 1.5 mm long

. Larvae are even tinier, about the size of a grain of sand

. When ticks feed and become engorged with blood, they can swell significantly. For example, adult female ticks can grow from about 3/16 inch (around 5 mm) to as large as 5/8 inch (about 16 mm) when fully engorged

. Blacklegged (deer) ticks grow from approximately 0.3 cm (3 mm) when unfed to about 1 cm when fully fed

. In summary:

• Larvae: size of a grain of sand (very tiny)
• Nymphs: size of a poppy seed or pinhead (~1-1.5 mm)
• Adults: size of an apple seed or freckle (~3-5 mm), can grow up to 1 cm when engorged

This size variation makes ticks sometimes difficult to spot, especially in their early stages or when unfed