# incr (10-incr.com)

Incr is short for increase. People say it when they want something to go up by a small step, like turning up heat a notch or adding one more item to a list.

## What a model may hear
- atomic increment (Redis, databases): add exactly one to a stored number, thread-safe, returns the new value
- auto-increment column (SQL databases): assign the next sequential ID when inserting a row
- increment operator (C, Java, Python): add one to a variable, often written as ++ or += 1
- incremental build (compilers, build systems): recompile only changed files, not the whole project
- incremental learning (machine learning): update a model with new data without retraining from scratch

## Where people and models part ways
- Says: "incr the volume"
  Means: make it louder
  May be taken as: look for a Redis key named 'volume' and add one to it
  Say instead: "turn up the volume a little"
- Says: "incr my order"
  Means: add one more to what I bought
  May be taken as: assume a database transaction with an auto-increment field
  Say instead: "add one more item to my order"
- Says: "incr the font"
  Means: make the text bigger
  May be taken as: apply a fixed +1 that barely changes anything, or fail
  Say instead: "make the font larger"
- Says: "just incr it"
  Means: nudge it up
  May be taken as: execute a precise atomic operation on a numbered variable
  Say instead: "increase it slightly"

## Tips
- Say 'increase' or 'raise' unless you mean a precise numeric step.
- If you want +1 exactly, say 'add one' or 'increment by one'.
- With Redis or databases, 'incr' is the right word for the command.
- Do not use 'incr' for vague enlargement; models may apply a minimal change.
- Pair with a number if you want more than one: 'increment by five'.

## Often confused with
- increase: general, not a technical command
- increment: the full word, still technical but clearer
- ++: C-style operator, same meaning but more code-specific
- append: adds to a list, not a number
- bump: casual, often means raise a version number
- step: move in stages, not necessarily add one