AI Glossary
Token
Understanding AI Terminology
The basic unit of text that AI models process, typically a word or word fragment.
What It Means
A token is the fundamental unit of text that language models process. Tokens can be whole words, parts of words, punctuation marks, or special characters. Most LLMs break text into tokens before processing, and pricing is often based on token count. On average, one token equals roughly 4 characters or 0.75 words in English.
Examples
- The word 'chatbot' might be one token
- The word 'understanding' might be split into 'under' and 'standing' tokens
- Spaces and punctuation are often separate tokens
How This Applies to ARKA-AI
ARKA-AI shows transparent token usage and costs for each request, helping you understand exactly what you're paying for.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Token
A rough estimate is 1 token per 4 characters or about 100 tokens per 75 words. ARKA-AI displays actual token counts for precise tracking.
More capable models require more computational resources per token, leading to higher costs. Smaller, faster models are cheaper per token but may produce lower quality outputs.
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