Syllable (computing)
In computing, a syllable is a unit of information that describes the size of data for some digital hardware from the 1960s and 1970s. The size of the unit varies by hardware design in much the same way that word does. The term is not used for modern hardware; standardized terms, such as byte, are used instead.
Examples:
- 3-bit: some experimental CISC designs
- 6-bit: Burroughs B8500
- 8-bit: English Electric KDF9 and Burroughs B6500, B6700/B7700, and successors
- 12-bit: NCR computers such as the NCR 315 and Burroughs B5000, B5500, and B5700
- 13-bit: Saturn Launch Vehicle Digital Computer and Gemini Spacecraft On-Board Computer