Token
A token is a small chunk of text, close to a word or part of a word, that a model reads and writes one at a time.
What it tells you about a developer
A developer who talks about token counts has run an AI product where cost mattered. That is a practical, production-shaped concern and a good sign of real deployment experience.
A model reads text in tokens rather than letters or whole words. Tokens are small chunks that are often close to a word and sometimes a piece of one. The word comes from token in the sense of a unit or a chip, a small standard piece used for counting. Companies that charge for AI usage typically charge by the token, so a developer building an AI product tracks token counts the way they would track any other metered cost.