fixed-length code

noun

UK /fɪkst lɛŋθ kəʊd/

US /fɪkst lɛŋθ koʊd/

A fixed-length code is a code where every piece of information uses the same number of bits.

In a fixed-length code, each letter takes exactly eight bits.

SYNONYMS

constant-length code uniform-length code equal-length code fixed-width code

RELATED WORDS

variable-length code binary code encoding bit string data compression

OTHER MEANINGS

2. A coding scheme in which all codewords have an identical bit length, simplifying decoding.

The fixed-length code lets the receiver split the stream into equal chunks.

3. A data representation where every symbol maps to the same number of digits.

The old system used a fixed-length code of three digits for each item.

4. A method of storing records where each field occupies a set number of bytes.

The database uses a fixed-length code for country identifiers.