The rules that govern the structure of a command or programming language is called

Every programming or command language has strict rules that determine how its words, symbols, and punctuation must be arranged for a statement to be understood by the computer. If these rules are broken, the computer cannot interpret the instruction at all, even if the intended meaning would be obvious to a human reader.

This set of structural rules is called syntax. It defines things such as the correct order of keywords, how statements must be terminated, and how brackets or quotation marks must be paired. A program that violates syntax rules will produce a syntax error and will not run.

Algorithm refers to the logical sequence of steps used to solve a problem, which is a separate concept from how those steps are written down in code. Logic refers to the reasoning behind a solution, and a password is a security credential; neither of these describes the structural grammar of a language.

Examination reminder: keep syntax (structural rules of the language) distinct from an algorithm (the logical steps of a solution), since exam questions often test the two ideas against each other.