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I post this in another discussion.

think of "Right now" has a meaning of "time point" which "currently" don't have. "Turn around right now" means "Turn around" in a few seconds and "currently" does not have this meaning.

When I talk about a very short time, is it idiomatic and clear to use "time point" "time frame" to describe time? Is there a more appropriate term?

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I have never before heard the phrase time point—so I don't understand what you mean when you say right now has that meaning but currently doesn't. I have heard the phrase point in time, but there is no difference in its applicability between right now and currently, which are synonymous.

Also, time frame can encompass a second or a thousand years.

To describe a short period of time (if you don't use those actual words), you need to use an adjective such as momentary or one of its synonyms.

[Merriam-Webster]
1 a : continuing only a moment : FLEETING
1 b : having a very brief life

However, I should also say that neither momentary nor any of its synonyms means right now or currently. Something that is happening at the moment is something that could have been happening for years in the past and could continue to happen for years in the future. The fact that you are describing something in the present with those words doesn't say anything about its longevity. (Unlike momentary, which does.)

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  • singularli has given a perfect example showing that "right now" and "currently" aren't synonyms: "Turn around currently!".... no, not the same as "Turn around right now."
    – Lorel C.
    Commented Sep 17, 2019 at 4:10
  • @LorelC. Synonyms almost never always mean the same thing in every context. Generally speaking, you can take any two words that are synonyms and find some context in which they can't be interchanged. Finding this example sentence is no different. That aside (although it's not the case in this example), some synonyms do mean the same thing but can't just be dropped into the same sentence as the words they replace; in order to use them, you need to rephrase the sentence.
    – Jason Bassford
    Commented Sep 17, 2019 at 6:46

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