Say it like this
- That's a top priority for us this quarter.
- We need to reprioritize based on the new requirements.
- High-priority issues go to the front of the queue.
Use it at work
Planning
- What's the top priority this sprint?
- Let's agree on priorities before we start.
Saying no
- That's not a priority right now.
- We have too many priorities. Let's cut some.
Triaging
- What priority should this bug get?
- Customer bugs have higher priority.
Don't say this
Priority is a noun; the verb form is prioritize. Use the verb form when you mean to treat something as important.
Don't mix it up
| Term | What it is | Who writes or uses it | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| priority | How important or urgent something is | Product, managers | Planning |
| severity | How bad a bug's impact is | QA, engineering | Bug reports |
Practice
Try it
4 quick exercises
1. Your production system is down. How do you communicate urgency to your team?
2. Before the release, we need to _______ security vulnerabilities over cosmetic improvements.
3. Which sentence uses priority incorrectly?
4. Rewrite using priority: 'The most important thing we need to do is fix the login bug before we add new features.'
Say it out loud
Phrase 1 of 3
"That's a top priority for us this quarter."
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More about priority
Real examples(3)
- in a standup
"The database migration has shifted to a higher priority after the performance issues last week."
- in a code review
"Before we merge this feature, we should address the security vulnerabilities marked as high priority."
- in a team meeting
"Our priority right now is stabilizing the API; feature requests can wait until next sprint."
More mistakes(2)
Handle with care. Avoid using priority as a verb (prioritize is the verb form). Also avoid treating priority as an adjective—use high-priority or low-priority instead.
- ✕This is a priority feature.✓This is a high-priority feature.
Priority needs a modifier (high, low, medium) when used descriptively. Alone, it functions as a noun, not an adjective.
- ✕All tasks have the same priority level, so we can do them in any order.✓All tasks have equal priority, so we can do them in any order.
Use equal priority or the same priority, not the same priority level, for more natural phrasing.
Other forms(3)
- priority noun
"The security fix is our first priority."
- prioritize verb
"We should prioritize the customer-facing bugs over internal tech debt."
- high-priority / low-priority adjective
"All high-priority tickets must be resolved before the release."
Often used with(6)
- high priority · Used when something is very important and urgent; most common priority level in tech.
- low priority · Used for tasks that are nice to have but not critical; often deferred to future sprints.
- set priorities · To decide and communicate what should be done first; common in planning meetings.
- shift priorities · To change the order of importance due to new requirements or emergencies.
- priority queue · A data structure or task management approach where items are processed by importance level.
- priority level · A ranking system (e.g., P0, P1, P2 or high, medium, low) used to classify work items.
Similar words(3)
- urgency · Emphasizes time pressure more than importance; often used for immediate tasks.
- importance · More general; priority includes both importance and timing considerations.
- precedence · More formal; emphasizes the order in which things should be handled.
Opposites(3)
- low priority
- backlog
- deferred
Questions(5)
- What does priority mean in software engineering?
- Priority is the level of importance assigned to a task, bug, or feature that determines when it should be worked on. High-priority items are addressed first, while low-priority items can wait. Teams use priority levels (often P0, P1, P2 or high, medium, low) to organize their work.
- How do you use priority in a sentence at work?
- You can say: We are shifting this feature to a lower priority, or This is our highest priority for this quarter. You can also use it as a modifier: high-priority bugs should be fixed immediately.
- What is the difference between priority and urgency?
- Priority refers to importance and order of work. Urgency emphasizes how quickly something needs to be done. Something can be high-priority but not urgent, or urgent but lower priority depending on business context.
- Is priority a noun or verb?
- Priority is primarily a noun (the security fix is a priority). The verb form is prioritize (we need to prioritize customer requests). Avoid using priority as a verb in formal tech English.
- Why is setting priorities important in tech teams?
- Clear priorities help teams focus on what matters most, reduce confusion about what to work on, align efforts with business goals, and prevent team members from working on low-value tasks while critical issues remain unfixed.
