case sensitive

USAGE SUMMARY

"case sensitive" is correct and is commonly used in written English.
It is an adjective phrase used to describe something that is affected by whether the letters are in uppercase or lowercase. For example: "The passwords used to access the company's intranet system are case sensitive, so make sure to not use any capital letters."

✓ Grammatically correct

Academia

Wiki

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

36 human-written examples

Case sensitive.

Cornell University

It is case sensitive.

The Washington Post

"Password" is case sensitive.

Britannica

Note, field is case sensitive.

Harvard Business Review

The search is case sensitive.

Stanford University

It is not case sensitive.

University of California, Berkeley

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

24 human-written examples

Tags are case-sensitive.

Stanford University

Was that password case-sensitive?

The New Yorker

- The postcode/surname is not case-sensitive.

The Guardian

Enter your Old Password; remember that passwords are case-sensitive.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The characters on the labels are not case-sensitive.

Columbia University

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When writing technical documentation, always specify if a system or input field is "case sensitive" to avoid user errors.

Common error

Avoid assuming that users will know a field is "case sensitive". Explicitly state it to prevent frustration and incorrect input.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "case sensitive" functions as an adjective phrase that modifies a noun. It describes an attribute of something, indicating whether it distinguishes between uppercase and lowercase letters. Ludwig AI confirms this is a common and correct usage.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Academia

43%

Wiki

38%

News & Media

7%

Less common in

Science

5%

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "case sensitive" is commonly used to describe systems or fields where the capitalization of letters matters. As Ludwig AI points out, it is grammatically correct. It's particularly relevant in technical fields, password creation, and programming where precision is crucial. Conversely, the opposite is "case insensitive", where capitalization does not affect the outcome. When writing, it's best practice to explicitly state whether a field or system is "case sensitive" to avoid confusion and potential errors.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

sensitive to case

This alternative uses a different prepositional structure to express the same concept of sensitivity to letter case.

case-dependent

This is a direct synonym, replacing "sensitive" with "dependent" to indicate reliance on letter case.

respects case

This alternative highlights the system's behavior of distinguishing between upper and lowercase letters.

distinguishes case

This focuses on the action of differentiating between upper and lowercase letters.

case-aware

This term emphasizes the system's awareness and handling of different letter cases.

treats upper and lower case as distinct

This phrase clearly spells out the behavior of considering different letter cases as separate entities.

differentiates between cases

This alternative underlines the action of telling apart various letter cases.

letter case matters

This phrase provides a simple and direct way to express the importance of letter case.

capitalization-sensitive

This alternative specifically emphasizes the sensitivity to capitalization.

case-relevant

This emphasizes the relevance or importance of letter case in a particular context.

FAQs

How do I explain what "case sensitive" means?

When something is "case sensitive", it means that the system distinguishes between uppercase and lowercase letters. For example, "Password" and "password" would be treated as different values.

What is the opposite of "case sensitive"?

The opposite of "case sensitive" is "case insensitive", meaning the system does not distinguish between uppercase and lowercase letters.

In what contexts is "case sensitivity" most important?

Case sensitivity is crucial in contexts like passwords, usernames, programming languages, and file names where accuracy is essential. It's less important in areas like general text input or search queries, where "case-insensitive" behavior is often preferred.

Which is correct: "case sensitive" or "cases sensitive"?

The correct term is "case sensitive". The plural form "cases sensitive" is not grammatically correct in this context.