Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

softmax

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.28 in modern English

Syllables
soft-max
IPA
19
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A generalization of the logistic function that "squashes" a K-dimensional vector mathbf z of arbitrary real values to a K-dimensional vector σ( mathbf z) of real values in the range (0, 1).

Uncountable

verb

Alternative spelling of softmaxx.

Etymology

Coined by John S. Bridle in 1989, on the grounds of the function being "a differentiable generalisation of the 'winner-take-all' operation of picking the maximum value".

Word Breakdown

Usage

Inflected Forms

softmaxes (present, singular) softmaxing (participle, present) softmaxed (participle, past) softmaxed (past)

Questions

What does softmax mean?
A generalization of the logistic function that "squashes" a K-dimensional vector mathbf z of arbitrary real values to a K-dimensional vector σ( mathbf z) of real values in the range (0, 1).
Where does softmax come from?
Coined by John S. Bridle in 1989, on the grounds of the function being "a differentiable generalisation of the 'winner-take-all' operation of picking the maximum value".

How to pronounce softmax

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “softmax”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “softmax”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “softmax” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.