Overview
"Score" is a versatile English word used as both noun and verb with several related meanings. As a noun it most commonly refers to written musical notation, a numerical result in a contest or test, or (in older usage) the number twenty. As a verb it means to record points, compose or arrange music, mark items, or achieve a success. The senses are connected by ideas of marking, accounting and achievement.
Major senses
- Musical score: the written representation of a composition, showing parts for instruments and voices used by composers, performers and conductors.
- Result or tally: points or goals in sport and games; determines winners and standings.
- Test or evaluation score: numeric measures in exams, surveys and assessments (raw, scaled or percentile values).
- Archaic quantity: "score" historically means twenty and appears in dated expressions such as "threescore and ten."
Musical scores and formats
Scores appear as full scores (all parts aligned for conductors), individual parts, vocal scores and reductions like piano arrangements. Notation indicates pitch, rhythm, dynamics and articulations; modern editions often include editorial or performance notes and copyright information.
Scoring beyond music
In sport and games a score records goals, runs or points. In education and testing, scores may be raw counts, percentages, scaled scores or grades. In business and finance, scoring systems (credit scores, risk scores, ranking algorithms) compress complex data into single values to support decisions.
Language, idioms and distinctions
Common idioms include "settle a score" (resolve a grievance) and "by the score" (in large numbers). Distinctions to note: a musical score is the written composition, while a soundtrack or recording is a produced audio performance; a score as a numerical result is distinct from a grade or mark, though usage overlaps by context.