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Meaning & use

spec

noun, phrase·Everydayinformal

Last updated

UK/spek/
US/spek/

Meanings

  1. nouncountableinformal

    A written list of exactly what a product, building or piece of software must include or be able to do.

    Grammar: Often plural: read the specs, but one spec can mean a single document.

    Patterns

    • the spec for something
    • to spec
    • meet the spec

    The client changed the spec twice before we wrote any code.

    Check the spec of the laptop before you buy it.

    The bridge was built exactly to spec, so the inspectors passed it.

  2. phrasefixed phraseinformal

    Done without a firm order or promise of payment, in the hope that someone will want the result later.

    Grammar: Only used as on spec after a verb or noun: write a script on spec.

    Patterns

    • do something on spec
    • build something on spec

    She wrote the whole screenplay on spec and then looked for a producer.

    The builder put up three houses on spec, expecting buyers to appear.

    I would rather not design a logo on spec for free.

Word forms

pluralspecs

Common combinations

technical spec
The technical spec lists every port on the device.
meet the spec
The cables failed to meet the spec and were returned.
write a spec
We need someone to write a spec before the work begins.
to spec
The part was machined to spec within a tenth of a millimeter.
high spec
He bought a high spec model with extra memory.

Synonyms and how they differ

specification
This is the full, formal word; spec is its casual shortening used in offices and shops.
requirements
Requirements say what is needed, while a spec usually also describes exactly how it should be built or measured.
blueprint
A blueprint is a drawn plan of a design, whereas a spec is mainly written detail.

Word family

specification noun
the full detailed description
specify verb
to state something exactly
specific adjective
clearly defined, not general
specifically adverb
in a precise way

Commonly confused: spec or specs (glasses)?

spec vs specs (glasses)

In British informal English specs also means eyeglasses, so context decides whether it means technical details or spectacles.

Practice

The factory rejected the shipment because the steel did not match the ___ in the contract.

Make it your own

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