Understanding Tokenization in Large Language Models

Tokenization is the first step in how Large Language Models (LLMs) understand the world. Instead of processing raw text letter by letter, they break it down into meaningful chunks called tokens.

What is a Token?

A token can be as small as a single character or as large as a whole word. For example, common words like “the” or “and” are usually single tokens, while complex words might be split into several.

Why it matters

Understanding tokens helps you:

• Optimize your API costs.
• Avoid context window limits.
• Debug unexpected outputs.

Stay tuned for more insights into the world of AI!