Editing Nibble (section)

{{Short description|Four-bit unit of binary data}}
{{About|the data storage unit}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020|cs1-dates=y}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2019}}
[[File:Octets in CP866 ordered by nibbles.png|192px|thumb|right|An [[Octet (computing)|octet]] [[code page 866]] font table ordered by nibbles.]]

In [[computing]], a '''nibble''',<ref name="Intel_1974_MCS-40"/> or spelled '''nybble''' to match [[byte]], is a [[unit of information]] that is an aggregation of four-[[bit]]s; half of a byte/[[octet (computing)|octet]].<ref name="Intel_1974_MCS-40"/><ref name="Hall_1980"/><ref name="Warren_2013"/> The unit is alternatively called '''nyble''', '''nybl''', '''half-byte'''<ref name="esr"/> or '''tetrade'''.<ref name="Carr_1959"/><ref name="Speiser_1965"/> In [[computer network|networking]] or [[telecommunications]], the unit is often called a '''semi-octet''',<ref name="Puzman_2012"/> '''quadbit''',<ref name="Horak_2007_Websters"/> or '''quartet'''.<ref name="Brewster_1994"/><ref name="Courbis_1989"/>

As a nibble can represent sixteen ({{math|2<sup>4</sup>}}) possible values, a nibble value is often shown as a [[hexadecimal]] [[digit (math)|digit]] (hex digit).<ref name="Intro_CPP_1997"/> A byte is two nibbles, and therefore, a value can be shown as two hex digits.

[[4-bit computing|Four-bit computers]] use nibble-sized data for storage and operations; as the [[Word (computer architecture)|word]] unit. Such computers were used in early [[microprocessor]]s, [[pocket calculator]]s and [[pocket computer]]s. They continue to be used in some [[microcontroller]]s. In this context, 4-bit groups were sometimes also called [[character (computing)|character]]s<ref name="Intel_1973_MCS-4"/> rather than nibbles.<ref name="Intel_1974_MCS-40"/>