LLM Cheat Sheet

📰 Medium · LLM

Learn the basics of Large Language Models (LLMs) and how to use them effectively with this cheat sheet

beginner Published 24 Jun 2026
Action Steps
  1. Read the definitions and key concepts of LLMs to understand the foundation
  2. Learn about the limitations and capabilities of LLMs to use them effectively
  3. Explore the different applications and use cases of LLMs
  4. Practice using LLMs with real-world examples to improve understanding
  5. Review the cheat sheet regularly to stay updated on LLMs
Who Needs to Know This

This cheat sheet is useful for anyone interested in LLMs, including software engineers, data scientists, and product managers, to understand the basics and limitations of LLMs and how to use them better

Key Insight

💡 LLMs are AI systems trained to predict text and can be used for various applications, but understanding their limitations and capabilities is crucial for effective use

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🤖 Get started with Large Language Models (LLMs) with this beginner-friendly cheat sheet! 📚

Key Takeaways

Learn the basics of Large Language Models (LLMs) and how to use them effectively with this cheat sheet

Full Article

Title: LLM Cheat Sheet

URL Source: https://markgibbons25.medium.com/llm-cheat-sheet-398ebe04f2a1?source=rss------llm-5

Published Time: 2026-06-24T22:00:31Z

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# LLM Cheat Sheet

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[Mark Gibbons](https://markgibbons25.medium.com/?source=post_page---byline--398ebe04f2a1---------------------------------------)

9 min read

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1 hour ago

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I saw a recent post on X that called out a well known software engineer for not knowing how LLM’s actually work. And I realised, you know what? I’ve been using LLM’s for over a year now and I don’t really know how they work either!

So I did some reading into it and found that while most things I had picked up or intuited, there were definitely some useful learnings that really help understand LLM’s, their limitations, what they’re good at, and how to use them better.

I’ve distilled that knowledge into this Cheat Sheet, and I have ensured it is useful for any audience, not just software engineers.

## Definitions

Let’s start with some definitions and key concepts as these are foundational.

**Large language model (LLM).** A type of AI system trained to predict text. Given some text, it produces the most fitting continuation, one chunk at a time. Everything an LLM does — answering qu
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