Yes in Binary
"yes" in binary is 01111001 01100101 01110011
3 bytes, 24 bits, one 8-bit ASCII code per character.
"yes" is three letters, so in ASCII it takes three bytes: 24 binary digits to say something a computer can say in one. That contrast is the interesting part. Inside a program, a yes/no question is almost never spelled out; it is stored as a single bit, where 1 means yes and 0 means no. One bit is the cheapest possible answer, and computers hold billions of them.
The 24-digit version on this page lives at a different layer. It is the word as text, the thing you use when a human needs to read it: a decoded message, a puzzle answer, a one-word reply hidden in a bio. The single bit is for machines keeping score; the full spelling is for people.
As with every phrase on this site, case matters. This is the lowercase version, and a capital Y swaps the first byte for a different code. Its opposite number is at no in binary, which is one byte shorter and makes the same point twice as fast.
Byte by byte
| Character | Decimal | Binary |
|---|---|---|
| y | 121 | 01111001 |
| e | 101 | 01100101 |
| s | 115 | 01110011 |
The same phrase in hex and decimal
Binary is not the only way to write the bytes. In hexadecimal, "yes" is:
79 65 73
And as decimal byte values:
121 101 115
More words in binary
Browse the full collection at words in binary, or convert any text to binary with the translator.
FAQ
What is yes in binary?
Lowercase "yes" is 01111001 01100101 01110011. Three letters, three 8-bit ASCII bytes, 24 binary digits in total. Capitalize it and the first byte changes to 01011001, since uppercase letters have their own codes, 32 below their lowercase partners.
Isn't yes just 1 in binary?
Inside programs, often yes: a true/false value stores a yes as a single 1 bit. But that 1 is a value, not text. To display or engrave the word itself you spell it in ASCII, which takes the full 24 digits shown here. Both are correct; they answer different questions.