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Planning & Processnoun · /bʌɡ rɪˈpɔːrt/

bug report

In simple English

A bug report is a formal record used in software development to communicate issues found in an application or system. When testers, users, or developers discover unexpected behavior, they create a bug report that documents the problem systematically. This report typically includes the steps to reproduce the issue, the expected behavior, actual behavior, environment details (operating system, browser version, etc.), and sometimes screenshots or logs. Bug reports are essential in agile and waterfall development workflows. They move through a lifecycle: submitted, assigned to a developer, investigated, confirmed or closed, fixed, and verified. Teams use bug tracking systems like Jira, Azure DevOps, or GitHub Issues to manage these reports. The quality of a bug report directly affects how quickly developers can fix the issue. Vague reports with missing information slow down the process, while detailed reports lead to faster resolution. In tech companies, submitting a clear bug report is a core responsibility for QA engineers, developers, and product teams. This skill is highly valued because it demonstrates attention to detail and communication ability.

Understand what a bug report is, how to write one effectively, and why it matters in software development.

At a glanceCEFR B2
Commonness5/5
Versatility4/5
FormalityCasualFormalNeutral
Spoken ↔ WrittenSpokenWrittenBoth
Directness ↔ DiplomaticDirectDiplomaticDirect
RegionUS and UK
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Say it like this

✓File a bug report
✓Submit a bug report to the tracking system
✓We have three open bug reports for this sprint

Real examples

in a standup meeting

"I filed a bug report for the payment page crashing when users select certain currencies."

in a code review

"Before we merge this, we should check if there are any related bug reports we need to address."

in a team meeting

"Our bug reports this week show a pattern of performance issues under high load."

Don't say this

Handle with care. Do not use 'bug report' as a verb without 'submit,' 'file,' or 'create.' Say 'file a bug report' not 'bug report it.'

✕I need to bug report this issue.
✓I need to file a bug report for this issue.— Bug report is a noun, not a verb. Use 'file,' 'submit,' or 'create' with it.
✕This bug report is very bug.
✓This bug report describes a critical bug.— Bug report is the document itself; describe what type of issue it contains instead.
✕I wrote a bug report yesterday but nobody read it.
✓I submitted a bug report yesterday, but the developer assigned to it has not started investigating.— Bug reports move through a process; specify who should read it and what action is expected.

Other forms

noun (singular)

bug report

"We received a bug report about the mobile app crashing."

noun (plural)

bug reports

"The team prioritized the most critical bug reports for this release."

noun (modifier)

bug report form / bug report system / bug report template

"Please fill out the bug report form with as much detail as possible."

Often used with

file a bug reportMost common way to say you are creating and submitting a bug report
submit a bug reportSimilar to file; used interchangeably in most contexts
create a bug reportOften used in agile environments with tracking software
open bug reportA bug report that has not yet been resolved
close a bug reportMark a bug report as fixed or resolved
duplicate bug reportA bug report about the same issue reported multiple times
critical bug reportA bug report about a severe issue affecting core functionality
bug report backlogThe collection of unresolved bug reports waiting to be fixed

Similar words

issueBroader term; 'issue' can refer to bugs, feature requests, or other problems
defectMore formal; emphasizes that the behavior deviates from requirements
ticketGeneral term for any work item in a tracking system, including bug reports
incidentOften used in production environments for urgent problems

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Practice

Try it

4 quick exercises

Pick the most natural phrasing

1. You found a problem in the user interface. What do you do?

Complete the sentence

2. The developer asked me to _______ all issues I find in the testing phase so she can prioritize them.

Spot the mistake

3. Which sentence uses 'bug report' correctly?

Rewrite naturally

4. Rewrite using 'bug report': 'When I test the software, I find problems and write documents describing them so the programmers know what to fix.'

Questions

Quick poll

Have you said "bug report" in a standup this week?

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