Subject: Re: [bitcoindev] BIP Proposal: Define Bitcoin Subunits as Satoshis/Sats

From: Jakub Szwedo <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 2 May 2025 13:54:26 -0700 (PDT)

Hi,

If the author of the BIP would like to add some accessibility and voice/UI 
guidance mentioned by Lucas, a great open source resource created by 
Bitcoin Design community exists on the topic:

https://bitcoin.design/guide/designing-products/units-and-symbols/

I hope it helps.

Best,
Jakub

On Thursday, 1 May 2025 at 11:24:17 UTC+2 Lucas André wrote:

> Maranatha!
>
> I propose a small addition that could improve this, particularly for users 
> relying on assistive technologies (like our boi Hal Finney once did).
>
> Specifically, I suggest adding a short section on *accessibility and 
> voice/UI guidance*. Your proposal does a solid job, but it doesn't yet 
> cover how these should be handled in screen readers, voice assistants, or 
> accessible interfaces. Below is a proposed section that could be added 
> under "specification" or introduced as a new non-normative section.
>
> To ensure clarity and inclusiveness in UIs and assistive technologies, the 
>> following recommendations apply:
>>  
>> Pronunciation:
>> The abbreviation "sat" should be pronounced as /sæt/, and "sats" (plural) 
>> should be pronounced as /sæts/ (rhyming with "cats") by screen readers and 
>> voice assistants. "Satoshi" (singular) is pronounced /səˈtoʊʃi/. "Satoshis" 
>> (plural) is pronounced /səˈtoʊʃiz/. 
>
>  
>
> Singular vs. Plural:
>> "1 sat" should be read as "one satoshi" and "100 sats" as "one hundred 
>> satoshis" to preserve correct pluralization and meaning. When reading 
>> aloud: 
>
>  
>
> "1 sat" → "one satoshi" → /wʌn səˈtoʊʃi/
>> "100 sats" → "one hundred satoshis" → /wʌn ˈhʌndrəd səˈtoʊʃiz/
>>  
>> Readable Formats:
>> Prefer full terms in accessibility modes (e.g., "satoshis" instead of 
>> "sats"), and group digits to assist parsing (e.g., "12,345" instead of 
>> "12345").
>>  
>> Contextual Labels:
>> Interfaces should use clear alt-text or aria-labels such as: *alt="Transaction 
>> fee: 14 satoshis per virtual byte". * This enables screen readers and 
>> other assistive technologies to accurately interpret and communicate the 
>> content.
>
>  
> If this makes sense, I'd be happy to help refine it or adjust to fit the 
> structure if necessary.
>
> References: 
> https://www.internationalphoneticalphabet.org
> https://tophonetics.com
>
> Peace,
> Lucas.
>
> On Tue, Apr 29, 2025 at 11:16 AM 'OceanSlim' via Bitcoin Development 
> Mailing List <[email-masked]> wrote:
>
>> To the Bitcoin developer community,
>>
>> I'm writing to propose a new Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP) aimed at 
>> formally standardizing terminology for Bitcoin's smallest unit. This is an 
>> informational BIP that seeks to officially recognize "satoshi" (singular) 
>> or "satoshis" (plural) as the standard term for 1/100,000,000 of a bitcoin, 
>> with "sats" as the standard abbreviation.
>>
>> While this terminology is already widely used throughout the Bitcoin 
>> ecosystem, no formal standard exists, leading to inconsistent usage across 
>> applications, documentation, and communications. This BIP seeks to 
>> formalize what has organically become common practice.
>>
>> The BIP can already be viewed here:
>> https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/pull/1841 
>> <https://deref-gmx.com/mail/client/rgLlibWjbIA/dereferrer/?redirectUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Fbitcoin%2Fbips%2Fpull%2F1841>
>>
>> I'd like to note that this proposal differs from BIP-176 (Bits 
>> Denomination) and the recent BIP-177 proposal (Redefine Bitcoin's Base 
>> Unit). While those proposals suggest changing or adding denomination 
>> schemes, this BIP simply formalizes existing widely-used terminology 
>> without changing the underlying unit structure.
>>
>> I look forward to your feedback and suggestions.
>>
>> Thank you,
>>
>> OceanSlim
>> npub1zmc6qyqdfnllhnzzxr5wpepfpnzcf8q6m3jdveflmgruqvd3qa9sjv7f60
>>
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