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# Often Confused Terms

There exist many terms that are highly similar and can legitimately be used interchangeably in various contexts. This isn't wrong, a slight difference may be insignificant in ordinary conversation and so the list here may also serve as a list of synonyms, considering a synonym is defined as a word of SIMILAR meaning (it is very rare for two distinct words to have exactly the same meaning). However it's crucial to stress that we must at least be aware of the fact that the slight differences do exist, for the sake of the cases where they matter (such as technical specifications etc.). The list below attempts to document some of the often confused/similar terms. This is NOT a nitpicking list for people to go "ACKCHUALY" every time someone uses a slightly incorrect word, it's here to make us aware that in some special cases we should take a little extra time to think through which word to use to prevent misunderstanding.

- 0 vs O vs o
- 0 vs NULL vs nothing vs emptiness vs absence vs non-existence vs etc.
- `:=` (assignment) vs `=` (assignment or equality) vs `==` (equality) vs `===` (some esoteric javascript shit)
- `!=` vs `=!`
- 1 vs I vs l vs |
- 1bit vs black and white vs grayscale vs monochromatic
- 1D vs 2D vs 2.5D vs 3D (e.g. 2D function vs 3D function, 1D raycasting vs 2D raycasting, ...)
- abbreviation vs acronym
- abstract vs virtual vs non-existent
- academia vs science vs soyence
- address vs pointer vs reference vs index vs vector
- AI vs machine learning vs neural networks vs LLM
- algebra vs arithmetic vs math vs logic
- algorithm vs program vs process vs heuristic vs source code vs software
- algorithm vs logarithm lol
- aliquot divisor vs divisor vs proper divisor vs prime divisor
- anagram vs palindrome
- analog vs mechanical vs non-electronic
- anarchy vs chaos
- argument vs parameter vs formal parameter vs variable vs operand
- array vs list vs vector vs tuple vs string vs set vs class vs multiset
- ASCII vs plain text vs Unicode vs UTF vs ANSI
- ASCII art vs ANSI art vs Unicode art vs ASCII graphics vs TUI
- asceticism vs minimalism vs frugality vs poverty vs pseudominimalism vs KISS vs lightweight vs suckless vs Unix philosophy vs LRS
- assembler vs assembly vs machine code vs bytecode
- asterisk vs asterix :D
- astrology vs astronomy
- attribution vs credit
- automatization vs automation
- autotune vs vocoder
- bash vs unix shell
- binary vs executable vs program
- binary vs boolean
- binary vs digital vs electronic
- biocomputing vs bioinformatics vs computational biology
- bisexual (normal) vs gay (not normal)
- bitmap vs image
- bitwise operators vs logical operators
- black race vs nigger vs negro vs afroamerican
- booting vs turning on
- brainwashing vs education vs indoctrination
- branchless programming vs ifless programming
- brightness vs intensity vs value vs lightness vs luma vs luminance vs radiance and all this kind of crazy stuff :D
- brute force vs heuristic search vs trial and error
- buffer vs cache vs cash
- bug vs glitch vs error vs exception vs fault vs failure vs defect
- byte vs octet vs word
- C vs C++ vs their different standards
- capital vs money vs wealth
- cash vs currency vs money
- calculator vs computer
- calculus vs mathematical analysis
- call vs command vs request vs statement vs expression vs function vs control structure vs operator vs operation vs macro vs invocation
- causation vs correlation (le reddit scientist rule)
- cepstrum vs spectrum
- CGI vs VFX
- chan board vs image board vs text board
- change vs progress
- chaos vs randomness vs pseudorandomness vs quasirandomness vs entropy vs statistics vs probability vs stochasticity
- character vs letter vs glyph vs phoneme vs phone vs symbol
- cheater vs cracker vs hacker vs programmer
- checksum vs hash vs ID vs index vs token vs handle vs identifier
- child rapist vs pedophile
- chroma vs saturation vs colorfullness
- cl vs d
- CLI vs TUI vs terminal vs console vs shell vs TTY
- clipping vs culling vs pruning
- closed source vs proprietary
- cloud vs server
- college vs university
- color model vs color space vs palette vs gamut
- computation vs computing
- communism vs Marxism vs socialism
- complex vs complicated
- complex number vs imaginary number
- computability vs decidability
- computer language vs programming language
- computer science vs information technology vs informatics vs cybernetics vs computer engineering vs software engineering
- compatibility layer vs emulator vs virtual machine vs simulator
- compositing vs composition (in computer art and graphics)
- comun vs conum
- concatenative language vs stack based language
- concurrency vs parallelism vs quasiparallelism vs distribution
- conjecture vs hypothesis vs theory vs theorem vs lemma
- consciousness vs free will vs self awareness vs thinking vs life vs creativity vs intelligence etc.
- constant vs literal vs immediate operand vs macro
- coding vs programming vs software engineering
- codec vs container format
- coherence vs consistency
- computational model vs model of computation
- computer language vs programming language
- convolution vs correlation
- coordinate vs coordination
- copyright vs patent vs trademark vs intellectual property vs moral right etc.
- country vs state
- countries/places/languages: Niger vs Nigeria, Latvia vs Lithuania, Iraq vs Iran, America vs USA, UK vs Great Britain vs England, Austria vs Australia, Arctic vs Antarctica, Spanish vs Portuguese, France vs Belgium, Austria vs Germany, Ireland vs Scotland, China vs Japan vs Korea (and their languages), Mandarin vs Cantonese, Ukrainian language vs Russian language, Vietnam vs Thailand, Slovak language vs Slovene language, Greenland vs Iceland, ...
- crossplatform/multiplatform vs portable
- cryptocurrency vs digital currency vs virtual currency
- cryptography vs security vs privacy vs encryption
- cynicism vs pessimism
- dark web vs deep web vs dark net vs deep net
- data vs information vs entropy vs signal
- data structure vs data type
- decentralized vs distributed
- declaration vs definition vs initialization
- demo vs intro
- democracy vs voting
- demonstration vs proof
- desktop environment vs window manager vs windowing system
- derivative vs differential
- discretization vs quantization
- disc vs disc
- display vs screen vs monitor
- duck typing vs weak typing vs dynamic typing vs no typing
- digit vs number vs value vs figure vs numeral
- directed acyclic graph vs tree
- directory vs folder
- discrete Fourier transform vs discrete time Fourier transform
- distro vs GNU/Linux vs Linux vs GNU vs Unix vs Unix-like
- dynamic recompilation vs just in time compilation
- dynamic typing vs weak typing
- electric vs electronic
- electronic game vs video game
- emoticon vs emoji vs smiley
- emulation vs simulation
- encryption vs security vs privacy
- entity vs object
- equality vs identity
- equation vs expression vs inequality vs statement
- equivalence vs implication
- erotica vs nudity vs porn
- ethics vs morality
- Euler's number vs Euler number
- evolution vs natural selection
- evolutionary programming vs evolutionary algorithm vs genetic programming vs genetic algorithm
- equality vs identity (in programming languages)
- fail safe vs safe vs secure vs robust vs reliable vs tested etc.
- floating point number vs real number vs fixed point number vs rational number vs fraction
- font vs typeface
- forwarding vs routing vs switching
- framework vs library vs module
- free software (libre) vs open source vs FOSS vs public domain vs source available vs freeware (gratis)
- gay vs LGBT
- geek vs nerd
- globalism vs globalization
- goniometry vs trigonometry
- gradient noise vs value noise
- GUI vs graphics vs UI vs TUI vs CLI
- heading vs header
- heat vs temperature
- historical vs historic
- hyperlink vs link vs URI vs URL vs URN
- ideology vs philosophy vs religion vs paradigm
- imperative paradigm vs procedural paradigm vs procedural generation
- implementation defined behavior vs undefined behavior vs unspecified behavior
- infinite vs arbitrarily large/unbounded
- intelligence vs IQ
- Internet vs web
- interpolation vs regression
- it's vs its
- Java vs JavaScript
- kB/mB/gB/tB vs KiB/MiB/GiB/TiB vs KB/MB/GB/TB
- latency/ping/lag vs throughput/bandwidth vs speed
- leftism vs pseudoleftism
- liberalism vs libertarianism
- library vs module
- license vs waiver
- lighting vs lightning :D
- main memory vs working memory vs RAM
- logic vs math vs rationality
- low poly vs stylized vs low effort
- low resolution vs pixel art
- magic number vs magic constant
- malware vs virus
- mass vs weight
- method vs methodology
- mod vs mode
- modem vs router vs switch
- modulo vs remainder
- multisampling vs supersampling
- nationalism vs patriotism
- normal vs uniform probability distribution
- normie vs NPC vs retard
- NP vs NP-hard vs NP-complete
- off by one numbers (256 vs 255, 99 vs 100 etc.)
- opaque vs solid
- operand vs operator vs operation
- orientation vs rotation
- overflow vs wrap around
- packet vs package (:D)
- paging vs virtual memory
- path tracing vs ray tracing vs ray casting
- poisonous vs venomous
- principal square root vs square root (especially when defining i)
- probability vs probability density
- pseudo vs quasi
- pseudoleft vs left
- pseudoskeptic vs skeptic
- racial realism vs racism
- rapper vs rapist
- reboot vs remake vs remaster vs rerelease vs spinoff
- regular expressions vs wildcards
- responsive vs responsible :D
- shading vs shadows
- space(time) vs universe
- static typing vs strong typing
- strategy vs tactics
- sudo vs root
- transcript vs transcription
- Unicode vs UTF
- webpage vs website
- wiki vs Wikipedia
- you're vs your
- ...

## See Also

- often misunderstood

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