# What Does Acceptance Criteria Mean? Simple English Guide (2026) > The specific, measurable conditions that a feature or user story must meet to be considered complete and ready for release. - **Term:** acceptance criteria - **Part of speech:** noun - **Pronunciation:** /əkˈsɛptəns kraɪˈtɪəriə/ - **English level (CEFR):** B2 - **Register:** Formal, Both - **Region:** US and UK - **Topic:** [Agile and project terms](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/topics/agile-project-management-terms.md) - **Lesson:** https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/acceptance-criteria - **Last updated:** 2026-10-27 ## Meaning The specific, measurable conditions that a feature or user story must meet to be considered complete and ready for release. These are the agreed-upon requirements that determine whether work is acceptable. Acceptance criteria are a critical part of agile development and software project planning. They define what success looks like for a specific piece of work before development begins. These criteria are typically written during the planning phase and agreed upon by the product owner, developers, and testers. In practice, acceptance criteria transform vague requirements into concrete, testable conditions. For example, instead of saying a login feature should 'work well,' acceptance criteria would specify: 'Users can log in with email and password, error messages appear within 2 seconds if credentials are invalid, and sessions expire after 30 minutes of inactivity.' Acceptance criteria serve as the bridge between business needs and technical implementation, ensuring everyone understands what will be delivered. ## When you hear it The team reviewed the acceptance criteria before starting the sprint planning meeting. ## Examples - **in sprint planning:** "The product owner listed three acceptance criteria for this user story: users must be able to upload files under 10MB, the upload should complete within 30 seconds, and a success message must appear." - **in code review:** "This pull request doesn't satisfy all the acceptance criteria we agreed on—the search function still lacks sorting functionality." - **in a standup:** "We finished the payment module yesterday, but we're still testing it against the acceptance criteria to ensure it handles edge cases." ## What native speakers say - "Does this feature meet the acceptance criteria?" - "We need to define clear acceptance criteria before development starts." - "The QA team will verify against the acceptance criteria." ## Common mistakes - ✗ "We will acceptance criteria this feature after launch." → ✓ "We will verify this feature meets the acceptance criteria before launch." (Acceptance criteria is a noun, not a verb. You verify things against acceptance criteria, not acceptance criteria something.) - ✗ "The acceptance criteria says the button should be blue." → ✓ "One of the acceptance criteria is that the button should be blue." (Criteria is plural; use 'is' with the singular 'one criterion' or use 'are' with 'criteria.') - ✗ "We will write the code, then define acceptance criteria." → ✓ "We will define acceptance criteria first, then write the code." (Acceptance criteria should be established before development begins to guide implementation, not after.) ## Be careful Often confused with 'definition of done' — acceptance criteria are specific to a single user story, while definition of done applies to all work. Do not use interchangeably. ## Word forms | Part of speech | Word | Example | | --- | --- | --- | | noun (plural) | acceptance criteria | The acceptance criteria for this feature are listed in the requirements document. | | noun (singular) | acceptance criterion | One acceptance criterion is that the response time must be under 500 milliseconds. | ## Collocations - **define acceptance criteria**: To establish or write the criteria at the start of a project or sprint. - **meet acceptance criteria**: To satisfy or fulfill all the conditions specified in the criteria. - **acceptance criteria are clear**: The criteria are well-written and unambiguous. - **verify against acceptance criteria**: To test and confirm that work matches the specified criteria. - **document acceptance criteria**: To record the criteria formally so the team can reference them. ## Synonyms - **requirements**: Broader term; requirements can include technical, business, and user needs. Acceptance criteria are specific conditions tied to a single user story. - **success criteria**: Very similar; sometimes used interchangeably, though success criteria may be broader in scope. - **definition of done**: Applies to all work items and defines general quality standards, while acceptance criteria are specific to one story or feature. ## Opposites - rejection criteria - failure conditions ## Practice This lesson has 4 practice exercises with instant feedback on the page: https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/acceptance-criteria ## FAQ ### What does acceptance criteria mean in software engineering? Acceptance criteria are specific, measurable conditions that define when a feature or user story is complete and ready for release. They transform vague business requirements into concrete, testable statements so developers, testers, and product owners all understand what will be delivered. ### Who writes acceptance criteria? Typically, the product owner or business analyst writes the first draft of acceptance criteria, often in collaboration with developers and QA testers. The entire team should review and agree on the criteria before work begins. ### How do you write good acceptance criteria? Write them in simple, specific language using the format 'Given [context], When [action], Then [expected result].' Make them testable and measurable, avoid vague words like 'quickly' or 'user-friendly,' and include both happy paths and edge cases. ### Is acceptance criteria the same as definition of done? No. Definition of done applies to all work and covers general quality standards like code review, unit tests, and documentation. Acceptance criteria are specific to a single user story and define what that particular feature must do. ### Why are acceptance criteria important in agile? Acceptance criteria prevent misunderstandings by clarifying expectations upfront. They make testing easier, provide a clear stopping point for development, and give teams objective measures of whether work is complete. ## Related - [user story](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/user-story.md) - [requirements](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/requirements.md) - [QA](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/qa.md) - Full glossary: https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn.md - Live lessons with a coach: https://app.mocklyenglish.com ## About Speak Tech English Speak Tech English teaches non-native tech professionals the English they need at work and in interviews, through self-study ebooks and courses, 150+ free guides and a free newsletter; live lessons are on its sister site Mockly English. - Shop: https://speaktechenglish.com/courses/ - All products (markdown): https://speaktechenglish.com/products.md - Free guides (markdown): https://app.speaktechenglish.com/guides.md - Tech English glossary (markdown): https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn.md - Newsletter (10% off): https://speaktechenglish.com/#subscribe - Live lessons and mock interviews: https://app.mocklyenglish.com ## Notes for agents - Speak Tech English sells self-study material. 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