Are you new to Reddit and wondering why people are using terms and abbreviations you’ve never heard of before?
Reddit is a massive online community, home to thousands of subreddits and millions of users. It has developed its own unique culture, full of insider lingo that can feel like a foreign language to newcomers.
To make the most of your Reddit experience, it’s essential to familiarize yourself with the platform’s most common expressions, acronyms, and references. Knowing these terms will help you better understand what people are talking about, avoid confusion, and participate more confidently in conversations.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the most widely used Reddit glossary terms, covering everything from slang to subreddit-specific lingo, so you can navigate Reddit like a pro.
Reddit Glossary List Infographic
Before diving into the detailed list, here’s a visual summary of key Reddit terms you’re likely to encounter daily.
The Reddit Glossary: Complete List of Common Terms
Below is an alphabetically arranged breakdown of essential Reddit lingo:
Alt – An alternative user account. Many users create alts for anonymity, privacy, or specific posting purposes without tying content to their main profile.
Alt Mod – A moderator account that isn’t the user’s main profile. Often used to moderate without drawing attention to a personal identity or karma history.
AMA – Stands for “Ask Me Anything.” A format used in r/IAmA and other subreddits where people—celebrities, experts, or everyday users—invite the community to ask them anything. There are many subreddits about AMA as well, such as r/AMA
AMAA – “Ask Me Almost Anything.” Similar to AMA, but with boundaries around certain types of questions. Used to manage expectations.
AutoModerator (AutoMod) – A Reddit bot used by moderators to automate rule enforcement. It can filter, remove, or flag posts based on custom rules.
At a [0–10] – A self-rating system for how high a user feels, common in marijuana subreddits like r/trees. Zero means sober, ten means extremely high.
Award / Reddit Award – A virtual “tip” users give to posts or comments they appreciate. Awards like Gold, Silver, and newer ones (like Helpful or Wholesome) can be bought with Reddit Coins.
Benned – A tongue-in-cheek way to say “banned,” originally from the SRS (Shit Reddit Says) community.
Brave / So Brave – Often used sarcastically to mock someone stating an opinion that’s already widely accepted, but presented as bold.
Brony – A male fan of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Frequently referenced in meme culture and niche subreddits.
Brigading – When users from one subreddit coordinate to upvote, downvote, or comment in another subreddit, often disrupting normal discussion. Against Reddit rules.
Cakeday – Your Reddit birthday. On the anniversary of your account creation, you’ll get a small cake icon next to your username for the day.
Cake Day Bomb – A low-effort post made just to farm karma on your cakeday, often relying on nostalgia or trending memes.
Chad – A meme archetype for a stereotypically confident, popular, or successful male. Often used ironically or in incel-related discussions.
Circlejerk – A group where everyone reinforces each other’s opinions. Often used negatively to describe echo chambers.
COPE – A dismissive response implying someone is rationalizing failure or rejection. Often used sarcastically or in trolling contexts.
Crosspost – Sharing the same post across multiple subreddits. Helps content reach wider or more targeted audiences.
Ctrl-F – A reference to the browser shortcut for searching. Users use this phrase when encouraging others to find specific terms or check for duplicates.
Dank Meme – A meme that’s particularly edgy, absurd, or ironic. “Dank” in this context means “cool” or “weird in a good way.”
DAE – “Does Anyone Else…” Used to spark conversation about shared experiences, often in a humorous or self-deprecating way.
Defaults – The subreddits all new users are automatically subscribed to. These are chosen based on activity and broad appeal.
Delta (Δ) – In subs like r/changemyview, a delta symbol is given to a commenter who successfully changed the OP’s perspective.
Downvote – A negative vote. Clicking the down arrow means you think a post or comment is off-topic, unhelpful, or low quality. Downvotes reduce the visibility of content, but Reddit guidelines discourage using them just for disagreeing.
EDIT – Signals a change or addition to a comment or post. Common when clarifying or updating based on new replies.
ELI5 – “Explain Like I’m 5.” A request for a simple breakdown of a complicated topic. Also a subreddit: r/ELI5.
Ent – A term for a cannabis user in r/trees, inspired by the tree creatures (Ents) from The Lord of the Rings.
ETA – “Edited To Add.” A short way to say that you’ve added more content to a post or comment after the fact.
F7U12 – Short for a rage comic subreddit. The name mimics the sound of exaggerated frustration: FFFFFUUUUUUU.
Fap – Internet slang for male masturbation. Mostly used in jokes or memes.
Flair – Custom labels or icons next to usernames, often used to show roles, locations, or personal takes within a subreddit.
Flair Bot – An automated script that assigns or changes user flairs based on rules, post behavior, or user requests.
[FIXED] – Indicates a corrected or spoofed version of an original post. Often used to make a point or joke.
Forever Alone – A meme and expression used for people who lack romantic relationships and social skills, often humorously or self-deprecatingly.
FTA – “From The Article.” Signals that the quoted content is taken directly from a linked article.
FTFY – “Fixed That For You.” A reply that edits someone else’s words—often for sarcasm, satire, or comedic effect.
Gatekeeping – When someone tries to limit access to a community or label (e.g., “real fans,” “true gamers”). Often criticized on Reddit.
Glowie – A conspiracy meme referring to government agents (usually FBI/CIA) posing as regular users to bait illegal activity.
GW – Short for “Gone Wild,” an NSFW subreddit where users post their own adult photos.
Gold / Reddit Gold – An old premium award users could give others. Now replaced by Reddit Coins and other award types, but still referenced.
Hivemind – A nickname for Reddit’s collective mentality, especially when users tend to upvote or downvote based on group opinion.
IAMA – Stands for “I Am A…” and is also a popular subreddit (r/IAmA) where people, often public figures or experts, introduce themselves and answer questions from the Reddit community. Past participants include Barack Obama, Bill Gates, scientists, authors, and everyday users with interesting jobs or experiences.
IMO – “In My Opinion.” Used to signal a subjective statement, helping distinguish personal views from objective facts.
IMHO – “In My Humble (or Honest) Opinion.” Similar to IMO, but sometimes adds a tone of politeness, modesty, or even sarcasm.
IIRC – “If I Recall Correctly.” Used when a statement is based on memory and may not be completely accurate.
ITT – “In This Thread.” Points to a specific trend or pattern seen in a discussion, often used to summarize what kind of replies are being posted.
Karma – Reddit’s point system. You earn karma when people upvote your posts (link-karma) or comments (comment-karma). It serves as a loose reputation score but has limited functional use beyond unlocking posting privileges in some subs.
Karma Farming – The act of posting things just to gain upvotes and karma, often without real discussion or originality. Includes reposting viral content, asking obvious questions, or low-effort memes.
Karmawhore – A derogatory term for someone who posts or comments just to gain karma. Often used to criticize users who repost popular content or pander to the “hivemind.”
Megathread – A single thread created by mods to collect posts on a popular or ongoing topic, like breaking news or game releases.
Meta-subs / Meta-reddits – Subreddits that discuss Reddit itself. Examples include r/TheoryOfReddit and r/SubredditDrama. They focus on trends, user behavior, or moderation issues.
MIC – “More In Comments.” A heads-up that additional information or clarification can be found in the comment section rather than the post title or body.
Mod – Short for moderator. Mods are volunteers who oversee specific subreddits, enforce rules, remove content, and manage community behavior.
MRA – “Men’s Rights Activist.” A person involved in advocating for men’s issues, sometimes controversial in Reddit discussions due to political polarization.
Neckbeard – A pejorative stereotype used on Reddit to describe socially awkward men who are perceived as entitled or condescending, often associated with poor grooming (specifically, having a neck beard).
Ninjaedit – Refers to an edit made so quickly after posting that Reddit doesn’t show the standard “edited” timestamp. Also used to describe sneaky comment changes made without notifying others.
Novelty account – A Reddit account created for humorous or themed purposes. These users often post in-character, like the popular “ShittyWatercolour” account that responded to posts with watercolor paintings.
NSFW – “Not Safe For Work.” A tag used to mark explicit or graphic content. Posts labeled NSFW are hidden by default in many settings and require user confirmation to view.
NSFL – “Not Safe For Life.” A more intense version of NSFW, this tag warns of extreme gore or disturbing content. Use with caution.
OC – Stands for “Original Content.” Posts that the user created themselves, like art, stories, or memes, rather than reposts.
OP – “Original Poster.” The person who submitted the post that others are commenting on. Often referenced when addressing or responding directly to them.
Orangered – The color of the Reddit notification icon when you have unread messages or replies. Users will often say they’ve “got an orangered” when checking inboxes.
Power user – A Redditor with high karma and strong name recognition. They often post frequently and are very active in discussions across multiple subreddits.
Pun thread – A chain of comments where each reply is a pun, often increasingly bad (or good) as the thread progresses. These usually occur under posts with pun-worthy titles or topics.
r/ – A prefix before subreddit names (e.g., r/AskReddit). It’s how subreddits are referenced and linked.
Reddit switcharoo – A running joke or trope where a commenter reinterprets a post in an intentionally absurd or humorous way. The “switcharoo” flips the intended meaning for comedic effect.
Reddiquette – A set of informal guidelines that encourage respectful behavior on Reddit. It includes general expectations like not spamming, not downvoting just for disagreement, and being constructive.
Relevant username – A comment used when someone’s username unexpectedly aligns with the content of their post or comment. For example, a user named “ILoveCats” commenting on a cat adoption post.
RemindMeBot – A bot that reminds users about a thread at a specified future time. Triggered by typing things like “RemindMe! 3 months”.
Report – A feature that lets users flag posts or comments for breaking rules. Mods or admins then review the reports.
Repost – When someone submits content that has already appeared on Reddit—especially recently or in the same subreddit. Reposts often spark debate about originality and karma farming.
RES – Short for “Reddit Enhancement Suite.” A browser extension that adds features like comment filters, user tagging, and improved navigation. Primarily works with the old version of Reddit.
RTFA – “Read The Fucking Article.” A blunt way to tell users to read the linked content before commenting, especially when someone clearly misunderstood the source material.
Score – The visible number next to a post or comment, calculated by subtracting downvotes from upvotes. This number affects content visibility.
Shadowban – A type of sitewide ban where the banned user can still post and comment, but no one else sees their content. It’s often used for spammers or accounts violating Reddit’s site rules.
Shitpost – A low-effort, absurd, or intentionally bad post. Shitposts can be entertaining or annoying depending on the context and community.
Slur filter – A tool used by AutoMod to catch banned or offensive words. Subreddit mods often customize it for their rules.
Sockpuppet – An alternate account (alt) created to deceive others, troll, or manipulate discussions. Often used to post controversial opinions while protecting the user’s main identity.
Spamfilter – Reddit’s automated system that hides posts suspected of being spam. Moderators can manually review and approve filtered submissions.
SJW – “Social Justice Warrior.” Usually used as an insult to describe someone seen as overly politically correct or aggressively progressive.
SRD – Short for r/SubredditDrama. A meta subreddit where users highlight drama and arguments happening in other subreddits. Not to be confused with actual subreddit policy disputes.
SRS – “Shit Reddit Says.” A controversial subreddit focused on calling out perceived bigotry or bad behavior on Reddit. Frequently at the center of Reddit drama due to strong opinions and moderation tactics.
Sticky / Stickied Post – A post pinned to the top of a subreddit by moderators. Often used for rules, megathreads, or announcements.
Sub – Short for subreddit. Reddit is made up of thousands of subs, each dedicated to a specific topic or community.
THIS – A one-word comment used to strongly agree with another post or comment. Ironically, it often gets downvoted if it doesn’t add new discussion.
TIL – “Today I Learned.” A popular subreddit and tag for sharing interesting or surprising facts users recently discovered.
TL;DR – “Too Long; Didn’t Read.” Used to summarize a long post or article. Can be added by the author or other commenters to provide a quick overview.
Trees – Slang for marijuana. Also the name of r/trees, a community for cannabis users. Members often refer to themselves as “Ents,” a nod to Tolkien’s tree-like beings.
u/ – A prefix before a username (e.g., u/spez). Used to link to Reddit user profiles.
Upvote – A positive vote. Clicking the up arrow on a post or comment signals that you find it helpful, interesting, funny, or valuable. More upvotes push content higher in visibility across the site.
Upvote Ratio – The percentage of upvotes a post receives versus total votes. A low ratio may signal controversy or disagreement.
Whoooosh – Indicates that someone missed a joke or reference entirely. The word mimics the sound of something flying over someone’s head.
WIP – “Work In Progress.” Used to describe unfinished projects, especially in posts about art, DIY, or game development.
X-post – Short for “cross-post.” Indicates that content has been shared from one subreddit into another. Often used to extend reach or bring niche content to a broader audience.
Final Thoughts
Reddit might seem overwhelming at first, especially with its endless stream of unfamiliar slang, abbreviations, and subculture references. But once you get the hang of the terminology, you’ll find it much easier to participate, understand discussions, and even contribute your own content with confidence.
By using this glossary as a reference, you’re already well on your way to becoming a more fluent Redditor. Bookmark this guide, revisit it as needed, and enjoy your time exploring the front page of the internet.
