# Prompt

> The instruction you give an AI. The clearer and more complete the prompt, the better the answer you get back.

**Category:** Prompting

**A prompt is what you type to tell the AI what you want.** It can be a quick question or a few lines with a role, a task, some context, and the shape you want back. The AI answers based on what you put in, so **the prompt is your main steering wheel.**

The rule of thumb: **a vague prompt gets a vague answer; a clear one gets a useful answer.** You do not need magic words, just enough detail that a smart new colleague could do the task.

## At work

Instead of 'write a report', try: 'Draft a five-bullet update for my manager on Q2 sales, plain English, under 150 words.' Same tool, far better answer.

## Often confused with

The answer. The prompt is your input; the response is what the AI hands back.

## Related terms

- Context
- Claude
- Generative AI

## See it in a lesson

[How to write a great prompt](/en/learn/prompting/how-to-write-a-great-prompt)

## Further reading

- [Prompt engineering overview (Anthropic docs)](https://docs.claude.com/en/docs/build-with-claude/prompt-engineering/overview): Anthropic's own guide to writing better prompts.
- [Prompt engineering (Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prompt_engineering): Background on the craft of prompting.
- [Introduction to Claude (Anthropic docs)](https://docs.claude.com/en/docs/intro): Where prompts fit in how Claude works.

---

Last updated: 24/07/2026  
Source: Rollo Academy glossary