Nit: A prefix to indicate a minor comment in advance

Today's English Expression 14/30 · Step: Receiving and Replying to Code Reviews. All example sentences were created for this article. They are not taken from actual repository comments, and variable names are for illustration purposes.

Table of Contents

• Overview at a Glance
• 1. Meaning and Nuance
• 2. Example Sentences
• 3. Similar Expressions and Differences
• 4. Common Mistakes Made by Korean Speakers
• 5. One-Line Practice
• Model Answer
• References

Overview at a Glance

1. Meaning and Nuance

Nit comes from nitpick (to find petty faults). Prepending Nit: to a review comment means, "This is a minor point." These are things that do not affect functionality—such as typos, variable names, blank lines, or comment phrasing—but are nice to clean up.

Google's code review guidelines use Nit as an example of a prefix that indicates the weight of a comment, explaining it as "a small thing that is technically better to fix, but has no major impact." The same guidelines also introduce Optional (or Consider) and FYI. Using these prefixes prevents the author from mistakenly thinking every comment is mandatory to fix, allowing them to prioritize what to do first.

Authors who receive a Nit usually fix it because it is quick to resolve. However, since a Nit is not a blocker for merging, you can choose not to fix it and leave a brief explanation if you have a reason. Conversely, if a reviewer leaves too many Nits, it can wear out the author, so reviewers sometimes group multiple minor points into a single comment labeled "nits."

This also connects to Not a blocker from Episode 19. The phrase "LGTM with a few nits" means "it looks good except for a few minor things," indicating there are no major issues.

2. Example Sentences

Situation 1: Reviewer's inline comment

Nit: cfg → config would be more consistent with the rest of the package.

Situation 2: Author's reply

Done, thanks!

Replies to a Nit are best kept short. If you fixed it, a single word like Done or Fixed is enough.

Situation 3: Deciding not to fix it

I kept cfg here because the same name is used in the generated client, and I'd rather not diverge from it. Happy to change it if you feel strongly.

The phrase if you feel strongly means "if you really want it changed," politely deferring the final decision to the reviewer.

3. Similar Expressions and Differences

• Optional: / Consider: ... A suggestion meaning "this is a good idea, but not mandatory." It carries slightly more weight than a Nit, but similarly does not block merging.
• FYI: ... Information meaning "you don't need to change this now, but it's good to know for your reference."
• Super nit / Nitpick. Emphasizes that the point is extremely trivial. Super nit is informal.

4. Common Mistakes Made by Korean Speakers

• I'm so sorry for my mistake. I will be more careful. Apologizing profusely over a single Nit actually makes the reviewer feel uncomfortable.
  • Corrected sentence: Good catch, fixed.
• When authors ignore a Nit without any reply. It is polite to leave a short reason even when you choose not to fix it.
  • Corrected sentence: Leaving this as is to match the existing naming, if that's okay.
• When acting as a reviewer, leaving out Nit and writing definitively. Saying You should rename this. reads like a mandatory correction.
  • Corrected sentence: Nit: maybe rename this to podName?

5. One-Line Practice

As a reviewer, write an inline comment for the following scenario.

It's minor, but there's a typo in this comment (change recieve to receive).

Model Answer

Nit: typo, "recieve" → "receive".

It is customary to keep Nit comments concise. Showing what to change directly with an arrow (→) is enough. You can also use GitHub's suggestion feature so the author can apply it with a single click.

TT's Tip. Nit is a considerate way of saying "this is minor." Recipients should also feel free to reply briefly and lightly.

References

• Google Engineering Practices, How to write code review comments (Label comment severity): https://google.github.io/eng-practices/review/reviewer/comments.html
• Merriam-Webster, "nitpick": https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nitpick