📚 Glossary
Token
In one line: The unit AI models read and write in. Roughly 4 characters or 0.75 words. Pricing and context windows are measured in tokens.
A token is the unit that LLMs process. It's not a word — it's typically 3-4 characters or part of a word. The word 'tokenization' itself becomes 4 tokens: token, iz, ation, plus a separator.
Rough conversions:
- 1 token ≈ 4 characters
- 1 token ≈ 0.75 words
- 100 tokens ≈ 75 words
- 1000 tokens ≈ a typical email
- 1M tokens ≈ a thick novel
Tokens matter because: API pricing is per token, context windows are measured in tokens, and AskAI.free Pro/Max plans give you a monthly token allowance. Count tokens for any text here.
See it in action — ask any AI about token on AskAI.free.
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