From the manual
4.3. Variables

Variables are where temporary data is stored in a PICBASIC PRO™ program. They are created using the VAR keyword. Variables may be bits, bytes or words. Space for each variable is automatically allocated in the microcontroller=s RAM by PBP. The format for creating a variable is as follows:
There are basically four sizes a VAR can be while using PicBasicPro 2.6x
BIT = number of BITs - 1
BYTE = number of BITs - 8
WORD = number of BITs -16
LONG = number of BITs - 32