There is no strict legal definition of what constitutes a town in Scotland, with different local authorities using different metrics to define them over the years.
What is certainly not the case is that towns are always smaller than cities – a total of 12 towns are home to more people than Scotland’s smallest city of Stirling.
Meanwhile, the Highland settlement of Dingwall is classed as a town, even though it has a population smaller than the village of Bishopton (whose suffix would suggest it was a town to further muddy the waters).
These 21 places are definitely towns though – and are the largest in Scotland by population.
1. Paisley
With a population of 77,270, Paisley in Renfrewshire is Scotland's largest town. It's Scotland's 5th largest settlement overall after the cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee. Photo: Canva/Getty Images
2. East Kilbride
With a population of 75,310 the Sout Lanarkshire town of East Kilbride is the sixth biggest settlement in Scotland and the second largest village. It was designated the country's first new town in 1947. Photo: Google Maps
3. Livingston
The West Lothian town of Livingston has a population of 56,840. Photo: Google Maps
4. Hamilton
The South Lanarkshire town of Hamilton has a population of 54,480. Photo: Google Maps