beta

The word “beta” means the second letter of the Greek alphabet. In plain terms, either the Greek letter, or a trial/testing version of something before full release.

“Beta” is pronounced BEE-tuh (/ˈbeɪtə/ in IPA).

Here is “beta” used in a sentence: “Beta comes right after alpha in the Greek alphabet.”

Depending on how it is used, “beta” can be a noun, an adjective and a verb.

The word “beta” comes from Ancient Greek. Borrowed from Ancient Greek bêta, itself from a Phoenician letter name meaning "house" — the same root that gives English "beth.".

“Beta” is a fairly common word in modern English.

“Beta” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the second letter of the Greek alphabet.

In software testing, alpha usually refers to an earlier, rougher stage tested internally, while a beta is a more complete but still unfinished version released for wider testing. A beta typically comes after the alpha stage and is closer to the finished product, though it may still contain problems.

A beta is an early, unfinished version of a product released for testing, so it may still have bugs and missing features. A final or stable release is considered finished and ready for general use. Using a beta means accepting that things might change or break before the full launch.

In the software sense, beta pairs with words like version, test, release, and user, as in "beta version" or "beta test." People also speak of a product being "in beta" while it is still open for testing.