comma
gb/kˈɑmə/ us/kˈɑmə/
A2
English
vessző, vesszőnyi szünet, komma
NOUN
A2
1
vessző
A2
Usage pattern:
a comma; a comma after/before [word/phrase]
Use a comma to separate items in a list: apples, oranges, and pears.
Használj vesszőt a felsorolás elemeinek elválasztására: alma, narancs és körte.
Place a comma after an introductory phrase like “In the morning,”.
Az angolban tegyél vesszőt az olyan bevezető kifejezések után, mint az „In the morning”.
She forgot the comma after “Yes,” and the sentence looked strange.
Learner examples
Put a comma after “However,”.
Az angolban tegyél vesszőt a „However” után.
This sentence needs a comma.
Ebbe a mondatba kell egy vessző.
Common mistake:
Learners often use commas where English prefers a full stop/period, or they forget commas after introductory words (e.g., "However,").
Meaning
the punctuation mark (,)
Collocations
use a comma
|put a comma
|add a comma
|insert a comma
|omit a comma
|a comma after
|a comma before
|commas in a list
|a missing comma
|a misplaced comma
Synonyms
punctuation mark (General term; not specific to commas.)
Themes
writing
|grammar
|education
Definition
A comma (,) is a small mark used in writing to separate words or parts of a sentence.
A punctuation mark (,) used to separate parts of a sentence, especially items in a list, clauses, or additional information.
NOUN
B1
2
vessző
A2
Usage pattern:
a comma in [number]
In US English, 10,000 uses a comma to separate thousands.
Az amerikai angolban a 10,000 alakban vessző választja el az ezres csoportokat.
The spreadsheet automatically added commas to long numbers.
A táblázat automatikusan vesszőkkel tagolta a nagy számokat.
Be careful: in English, 2.5 uses a point, not a comma.
Learner examples
Write it as 1,500.
Írd így: 1,500.
This number needs a comma.
Ebbe a számba kell egy vessző.
Common mistake:
Many languages use a comma as a decimal separator; in English, the decimal mark is usually a point (3.5), not a comma (3,5).
Meaning
separator in large numbers
Collocations
a comma in the number
|thousands comma
|a comma every three digits
|remove the commas
|format with commas
|number with commas
Synonyms
thousands separator (Name of the function; can be a comma or another symbol depending on locale.)
Themes
numbers
|education
|business
Definition
In English, a comma is often used in big numbers like 1,000.
A comma used in some number formats to separate groups of three digits, especially in thousands (e.g., 1,000; 20,000).
NOUN
B2
3
vessző
A2
Usage pattern:
separated by commas; a comma between [items]
Enter the tags separated by commas.
A címkéket vesszővel elválasztva add meg.
The file uses commas to separate each field.
A fájl vesszőkkel választja el az egyes mezőket.
If a company name contains a comma, the CSV needs quotes.
Learner examples
Write the words with commas.
Írd a szavakat vesszővel elválasztva.
Separate the names with commas.
Vesszővel válaszd el a neveket.
Common mistake:
In CSV files, commas inside text fields must often be quoted; learners may split fields incorrectly.
Meaning
separator between items in data
Collocations
comma-separated
|separated by commas
|a comma-delimited file
|values separated by commas
|a list of names with commas
|a comma in a CSV
|escape the comma
Synonyms
delimiter (General technical term for any separating character.)
Themes
computing
|data
|writing
Definition
A comma can separate values in a list, especially in computer files.
A comma used to separate items in a series, especially in data, fields, or values (for example in a comma-separated list).
NOUN
B2
4
Usage pattern:
a comma in [speech/reading]
She read the line with a clear comma after “Well,”.
Úgy olvasta fel a sort, hogy a „Nos” után jól hallható vesszőnyi szünetet tartott.
There’s a comma in the rhythm of that sentence that makes it sound gentle.
Van egy vesszőnyi szünet a mondat ritmusában, amitől szelídebben hangzik.
He spoke quickly, without even a comma.
Learner examples
Pause at the comma.
Tarts szünetet a vesszőnél.
He spoke without a comma.
Egyetlen vesszőnyi szünet nélkül beszélt.
Common mistake:
Not every written comma should be a strong pause in speech; intonation often matters more than punctuation.
Meaning
a brief pause in speech
Collocations
a slight comma
|a natural comma
|a comma pause
|pause at the comma
|a comma in the rhythm
Synonyms
pause (More general; not tied to punctuation.)
Antonyms
continuation (No break or pause.)
Themes
speaking
|reading
|education
Definition
A comma can mean a short pause when you speak.
A short pause in speaking or reading aloud, similar to the pause suggested by a comma in writing.
NOUN
C2
TECHNICAL
5
komma
C2
Usage pattern:
a comma of [type]; the [type] comma
Some tuning systems account for the syntonic comma.
Egyes hangolási rendszerek számolnak a szintonikus kommával.
The Pythagorean comma explains a small mismatch in certain intervals.
A püthagoraszi komma megmagyarázza bizonyos hangközök kis eltérését.
In temperament theory, a comma can be distributed across several steps.
Common mistake:
This meaning is unrelated to punctuation; learners may not realize the term is technical music vocabulary.
Meaning
tiny interval in musical pitch
Collocations
syntonic comma
|Pythagorean comma
|a tuning comma
|a comma difference
|comma in temperament
Synonyms
micro-interval (Broader term for any very small pitch interval.)
Themes
music
|technical
|education
Definition
In music theory, a comma is a very small difference in pitch.
A very small interval between two pitches, discussed in tuning systems and music theory.
Grammar
Dictionary form
comma
IPA
GB/kˈɑmə/
US/kˈɑmə/
Syllables & stress
comma (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (comma)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: comma
- Plural: commas
Word family
Forms
commas
noun
Related words
punctuation
noun A2
punctuate
verb
Expressions
comma operator
1/kˈɑmə ˈɑpɚˌeɪtɚ/
fixed phrase
technical
programming operator using a comma
In some programming languages, a comma can act like an operator.
Examples
- In C, the comma operator evaluates the left expression and then returns the value of the right one.
- Most style guides recommend avoiding the comma operator because it can be hard to read.
- The bug came from misunderstanding the comma operator in that expression.
comma splice
1/kˈɑmə splˈaɪs/
fixed phrase
technical
comma wrongly joining two sentences
A comma splice is when you join two full sentences with only a comma.
Examples
- “I was tired, I went to bed” is a comma splice.
- You can fix a comma splice by adding a conjunction or using a semicolon.
- The teacher circled several comma splices in the essay.
Learner examples
- This is a comma splice.
- Fix the comma splice.
comma-separated values
1/kˈɑmə sˈɛpɚˌeɪtɪd vˈæljuz/
fixed phrase
technical
data format with commas between fields
Comma-separated values (CSV) is a file format where commas separate the data.
Examples
- Export the contacts as comma-separated values (CSV).
- The report is stored in a comma-separated values file.
- Some commas appear inside quotes, so they aren’t field breaks.
Learner examples
- Save it as CSV.
- This is a comma-separated values file.
inverted commas
1/ɪnvˈɚtɪd kˈɑməz/
fixed phrase
quotation marks (British English)
Inverted commas are the symbols “ ” or ‘ ’ used for quotes.
Examples
- Put the title in inverted commas.
- In British English, people often say “inverted commas” instead of “quotation marks”.
- She wrote the phrase in inverted commas to show she was being sarcastic.
Learner examples
- Put it in inverted commas.
- Use inverted commas for direct speech.
oxford comma
1/ˈɑksfɚd kˈɑmə/
fixed phrase
comma before “and” in lists
The Oxford comma is the comma before “and” in a list.
Examples
- The editor prefers the Oxford comma in all lists.
- Without the Oxford comma, the sentence could be read in two ways.
- Some newspapers omit the Oxford comma to save space.
Learner examples
- We use the Oxford comma here.
- Do we need the Oxford comma?
serial comma
1/sˈɪɹiəl kˈɑmə/
fixed phrase
another name for Oxford comma
The serial comma is the comma before the last item in a list.
Examples
- The style guide says to use the serial comma.
- Using a serial comma can prevent confusion in long lists.
- They argued about the serial comma for half an hour.
Learner examples
- Add the serial comma.
- This list needs a serial comma.