# Why Descriptive Variable Names Improve Code Readability

DevFeed: [Why Descriptive Variable Names Improve Code Readability](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/variable-looked-at-me-and-said-say-my-name-39030.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://vladimirj.dev/say-my-name/>)

Author: Vladimir Jovanović

Published: 2017-10-17T09:44:00Z

Content type: tutorial

Language: en

Sources: [Vladimir Jovanović](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/vladimir-jovanovic.md>)

Topics: [Variable](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/variable.md>), [Code](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/code.md>), [Programming](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/programming.md>), [Computer science](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/computer-science.md>)

Tags: [clean-code](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/clean-code.md>), [code](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/code.md>), [computer-science](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/computer-science.md>), [developer](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/developer.md>), [programming](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/programming.md>), [understand](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/understand.md>), [variable](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/variable.md>), [writing](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/writing.md>)

## AI overview

This article explains why descriptive variable names make code easier for humans to read and maintain. It contrasts short, cryptic names with clearer names and notes that naming requires judgment rather than automatically improving code.

## Source excerpt

While you are writing your code, the most important thing to have in mind is that you are writing your code first and foremost for humans to understand, and secondly for a machine to interpret.