The interchangeability of names does not imply that formal parameter names do not matter at all. On the contrary, well-chosen function and parameter names are essential for the human interpretability of function definitions!
The following guidelines are adapted from the style guide for Python code, which serves as a guide for all (non-rebellious) Python programmers. A shared set of conventions smooths communication among members of a developer community. As a side effect of following these conventions, you will find that your code becomes more internally consistent.
- Function names are lowercase, with words separated by underscores. Descriptive names are encouraged.
- Function names typically evoke operations applied to arguments by the interpreter (e.g., print, add, square) or the name of the quantity that results (e.g., max, abs, sum).
- Parameter names are lowercase, with words separated by underscores. Single-word names are preferred.
- Parameter names should evoke the role of the parameter in the function, not just the kind of argument that is allowed.
- Single letter parameter names are acceptable when their role is obvious, but avoid "l" (lowercase ell), "O" (capital oh), or "I" (capital i) to avoid confusion with numerals.
There are many exceptions to these guidelines, even in the Python standard library. Like the vocabulary of the English language, Python has inherited words from a variety of contributors, and the result is not always consistent.