Tokenizer: meaning, definitions and examples

Commonly used in computational linguistics and programming, a tokenizer splits input text into smaller pieces, often words or phrases.

• The tokenizer breaks down the sentence into individual words.
• We used a tokenizer to process the input data before analysis.

In computing, a parser interprets the structure of data, often transforming it into a format that a program can use. Parsing is a fundamental step in tasks like compiling code or processing language data.

• The parser checks the syntax of the code before it is compiled.
• A robust parser is crucial for developing a reliable application.

Short for 'lexical analyzer,' a lexer is a tool in programming that processes input characters into lexical tokens. This term is highly specific to software development, particularly in compiler design.

• The lexer converts the sequence of characters into tokens for further processing.
• Errors in the source code were flagged by the lexer.

This term is generally used in broader contexts to describe a tool or process that examines or studies something in detail. It can be used in both technical and non-technical fields.

• The analyzer identifies trends in the collected data.
• He works as a data analyzer for a marketing firm.

Commonly used in computational linguistics and text processing, a tokenizer is a tool that breaks down text into individual units called tokens. These tokens can be words, phrases, symbols, or other meaningful elements.

• The software uses a tokenizer to preprocess the text data before analysis.
• A good tokenizer can improve the accuracy of natural language processing applications.

A more informal term, word splitter can refer to any tool or method that separates text into individual words. It is often used in simpler or less technical contexts.

• A simple word splitter program can break down sentences into individual words for basic analysis.
• Using a word splitter, the text can be formatted to improve readability.

Often used interchangeably with tokenizer, a word segmenter focuses primarily on dividing continuous text into words. This term is more frequently used in the context of non-space-separated languages like Chinese or Vietnamese.

• The word segmenter helps convert Chinese characters into individual words.
• An efficient word segmenter is crucial for accurate translation of Asian languages.

This term is typically used in phonetics, speech processing, and linguistics to refer to the process of identifying the boundaries between words within spoken or written language.

• The word boundary detector struggled with identifying boundaries in rapid speech.
• Accurate word boundary detection is critical for speech recognition systems.