variable-length encoding
nounUK /ˈveəriəbl leŋθ ɪnˈkəʊdɪŋ/
US /ˈveriəbl leŋθ ɪnˈkoʊdɪŋ/
A way to store data where different pieces can use different amounts of space.
Variable-length encoding saves space by giving common letters shorter codes.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A data format in which records or fields are not all the same size.
The file uses variable-length encoding, so each record takes up a different number of bytes.
3. A coding scheme that assigns shorter codes to more frequent symbols.
Morse code is a classic example of variable-length encoding.
4. A method where the number of bits per character changes depending on the character.
UTF-8 is a variable-length encoding that uses one to four bytes per character.