# none (10-none.com)

None means nothing, zero, or not any. A person says none to say that something is absent or that no option applies.

## What a model may hear
- null value (programming and databases): treat the input as a null or missing value, skip a field, or return empty results
- no selection (user interfaces and forms): clear a choice, leave a setting unset, or disable a feature
- none type (Python and type systems): expect or return a NoneType object, enforce a type constraint, or flag a missing return value
- no access (permissions and security): deny all rights, block a request, or set an ACL to empty

## Where people and models part ways
- Says: "I want none of that"
  Means: reject everything offered
  May be taken as: treat as a null assignment or delete a variable
  Say instead: "reject all of the options"
- Says: "none worked"
  Means: nothing from a list succeeded
  May be taken as: return NoneType or stop execution
  Say instead: "none of the attempts succeeded"
- Says: "set it to none"
  Means: make the field blank
  May be taken as: assign a null that breaks later logic
  Say instead: "leave the field blank or empty"
- Says: "none for me"
  Means: I do not want any
  May be taken as: pass None as a function argument
  Say instead: "I do not want any"

## Tips
- Say blank or empty instead of none when you mean an empty field
- Say nothing or zero when you mean the quantity
- Say no or reject when you want to refuse an option
- Avoid none as a standalone answer to a multiple-choice question
- If you mean Python's None, say the Python null value explicitly

## Often confused with
- null: null is the database and JSON term for missing data
- zero: zero is a number, none is the absence of anything
- empty: empty means a container exists but holds nothing
- false: false is a Boolean value, not an absence
- nil: nil is Ruby and Go's version of null
- void: void means no return type in C-like languages