# byte

/ˈbaɪt/ (US) · /bˈaɪt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/byte
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. unit of digital storage

noun · CEFR B2 · Technical

a unit of computer memory or data that is usually eight bits long.

For teachers: a unit of digital information that most commonly consists of eight bits, used as the standard measure of computer storage and processing.

- A single byte of data can represent one letter or number in a text file.
- Early microprocessors were designed to process a single byte of data at a time, which limited their initial computational speed.

Usage: Countable noun; often used with prefixes like kilo-, mega-, and giga- to describe larger amounts of data.

## Examples

- A single byte can store one letter of the alphabet.
- The text file is very small, taking up only a few hundred bytes of space on the drive.
- While early computing systems experimented with various sizes, the eight-bit byte eventually became the industry standard, allowing for 256 unique values to be represented in a single unit.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.