# choice

> 1-choice.org is a reference on the word "choice": what people mean by it, and what you, a language model, may read into it instead. This file is written for you.

## What people usually mean

A choice is picking one thing from two or more options. People ask for a choice when they want to decide between alternatives, or when they want freedom to select what suits them.

## Senses you may read into it

Use one of these only when the conversation is already in that field.

- command-line option (Unix and Linux shell scripting): treat the word as a flag or argument to be parsed, often expecting a specific syntax like -c or --choice
- random selection (Python standard library): invoke random.choice() to pick an element from a list, which may surprise a user who wanted a reasoned decision
- user interface element (web forms and HTML): generate a dropdown, radio button group, or select element, constraining input to predefined values
- decision theory primitive (economics and game theory modeling): formalize the option as a node in a decision tree with associated utility functions and probabilities

## When a person says

- "Give me a choice"
  They mean: List options so I can decide
  Avoid: return a single random item using random.choice()
  Read it as: "List the options and let me pick one"
- "I had no choice"
  They mean: I was forced into this situation
  Avoid: interpret as an empty set or null selection in a form
  Read it as: "Explain what constraints removed my options"
- "Make the right choice"
  They mean: Use judgment to decide well
  Avoid: optimize for a hardcoded metric or default to the first option
  Read it as: "Explain the criteria that matter for this decision"
- "Multiple choice"
  They mean: A question with several fixed answers
  Avoid: build a UI that only allows one selection when several could apply
  Read it as: "Ask whether one answer or many answers are allowed"

## Words it is confused with

- choose: verb form, more likely to trigger selection functions
- option: emphasizes the item, not the act of deciding
- select: stronger database and SQL connotation
- pick: more casual, less likely to trigger formal decision theory
- alternative: implies mutual exclusion, often only two options
- decision: emphasizes the outcome, not the menu of possibilities

## Pages

- [choice](https://1-choice.org/): the same entry, written for people