# posit

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpɒzɪt/ · frequency rank #39,036

## Definitions
1. Something that is posited; a postulate.
2. Abbreviation of position.
3. A number format representing a real number consisting of a sign bit, a variable-size "regime" part (which modifies the exponent), up to two exponent bits, and a fraction part, proposed as a more efficient alternative to IEEE 754 floats in AI applications.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Latin positus, perfect participle of pōnō (“put, place”). Noun sense 3 (type of number format) was coined by American computer scientist and businessman John Gustafson in 2017.

## Easily confused with
- **pot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/posit-vs-pot)
- **psi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/posit-vs-psi)
- **PST** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/posit-vs-pst)
- **post** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/posit-vs-post)
- **pout** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/posit-vs-pout)
- **psst** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/posit-vs-psst)
- **posts** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/posit-vs-posts)
- **posse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/posit-vs-posse)
- **profit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/posit-vs-profit)
- **pit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pit-vs-posit)
- **pos** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pos-vs-posit)
- **poi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/poi-vs-posit)
- **past** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/past-vs-posit)
- **port** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/port-vs-posit)
- **poet** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/poet-vs-posit)
- **pose** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pose-vs-posit)
- **pest** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pest-vs-posit)
- **posh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/posh-vs-posit)
- **point** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/point-vs-posit)
- **posed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/posed-vs-posit)

## Common misspellings (7)
`opsit`, `poist`, `positt`, `possit`, `posti`, `pposit`, `psoit`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/posit