What is a group of four bits called?

A group of four bits is referred to as a nibble. This term is commonly used in computing and digital electronics to represent half of a byte, since a byte consists of eight bits. Nibbles are significant in various contexts, especially in representing hexadecimal numbers, where each nibble can be represented by a single hexadecimal digit (0 through F).

The use of the term "nibble" also helps in simplifying binary data representation and manipulation, particularly when working with lower-level data structures or programming tasks that involve bit manipulation. Understanding the concept of nibbles is important for those engaged in computer science, as it aids in grasping larger units of digital information as well.

A byte, while an important unit of data, consists of eight bits, so it is not applicable to this question. Words can vary in size depending on the architecture (e.g., 16, 32, or 64 bits) and do not specifically refer to four bits. A bitfield refers to a set of bits within a data structure, typically used to represent several logical values or flags, and does not define a specific quantity of four bits.