# Free

It is confusing to outsiders, but by us, as well as the wider tech and some non-tech communities, the word *free* is normally used in the sense of free as in freedom, i.e. implying freedom, not price. The word for "free of cost" is gratis (also *free as in beer*) or freeware. To prevent this confusion the word *libre* is sometimes used in place of *free*, or we say *free as in freedom*, *free as in speech*, even FOSS (this one is not so strong) etc.