Glossary
Programming has its own vocabulary. This page is a quick reference for the terms used in the course — in plain English, so you can look anything up without leaving the lesson.
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| program | A set of step-by-step instructions for a computer |
| programming / coding | The work of writing programs |
| code | The text of a program |
| statement / command | A single instruction given to the computer |
| run / execute | To start a program |
| To display text on the screen | |
| string | A sequence of characters written inside quotes |
| integer (int) | A whole number: 5, -3, 1024 |
| float | A number with a fractional part: 3.5, 0.1 — in Python you write a dot, not a comma |
| variable | A named “box” that stores a value |
| assignment | Giving a value to a variable: x = 5 |
| input | Data taken from the user |
| output | The data a program displays |
| error | A problem in the program — Python points to where it is |
| syntax error | An error raised when the writing rules are broken |
| comment | A note starting with # that the computer ignores |
| f-string | Text that can hold {variable} placeholders |
| conversion / casting | Changing a value’s type: int("12") |
| condition | An expression that is checked as true or false |
| indentation | The spaces at the start of a line — how Python recognizes blocks |
| comparison | Comparing two values: ==, !=, <, > |
| True / False (boolean) | Python’s “yes” and “no” values |
| logical operator | and, or, not — they combine conditions |
| loop | A block of code that repeats |
| counter | A variable that goes up or down in a loop (i) |
| accumulator | A variable that gathers a result across a loop |
| infinite loop | A loop that never ends — watch out with while! |
| list | An ordered collection of items |
| index | An item’s position in a list — it starts at 0! |
| slice | A part of a list: items[1:3] |
| method | An operation called with a dot: .append(), .sort() |
| dictionary (dict) | A structure that stores key–value pairs |
| key | The name that leads to a value in a dictionary: player["score"] |
| function | A named, callable block of code |
| parameter | The name a function uses for the data passed into it |
| return | A function handing its result back (without printing it) |