Reddit Glossary - A Guide to Reddit Lingo

Whether you're new to Reddit or a seasoned user, understanding Reddit lingo is essential for navigating the platform. From subreddits to karma, this guide breaks down the most common Reddit terms and Reddit slang to help you become a pro.

Basic Reddit Terminology

1. Subreddit

SubReddits are small communities under reddit where users can discuss, seek advice, create poll, post pictures and more. Each subReddit community has its own rules, guidelines, members & mods. Some classic examples of subreddits are
r/Music, r/AskReddit & r/DIY. As of Jan 2025 Reddit has over 100,000 active subreddits.

2. Karma

Reddit Karma is the score of user based on his contribution on reddit community. It is calculated based on the upvotes your get on your post or comments. Karma is further divided to Post Karma & Comment Karma. You also unlock different achievements based on your Karma score. On getting downvotes, your karma score decreases.

Post Karma - Karma that you acquire for top posts on communities of your interest.

Comment Karma - When you participate on other posts by commenting and if users engage with your comment by upvoting it then you earn comment Karma.

Note - Upvotes & Karma don’t have 1:1 relationship. It is just an approximate reflection of engagement on your contribution.

3. Achievements

Redditors can unlock achievement badges for completing certain contribution milestones in their communities. They can view their achievement badges through the profile menu on reddit.com.

4. AMA

AMA stands for “Ask me anything”. AMA on reddit is a Q&A format designed to build authority on a topic to a community of interested people. A lot of celebrities use this format to build profile authority.

5. Alt

Abbreviation for "alternate account," basically an extra account made by a user, which is used for various purposes or even for staying anonymous.

6. Avatar

A profile image of a user, mostly a cartoon, that is used for identification of the user in an online community.

7. Gold earned

Given that Reddit Gold (now called Reddit Premium) was as an award to the author of a very useful post or comment, the phrase “gold earned” refers to the same.

8. Upvote

That is the positive vote on a post or comment, and it similarly increases the popularity (or visibility) of the content.

9. Downvote

It is the negative vote that lowers the post or comment's visibility and is the equivalent of an upvote.

10. Awards

They are basically virtual tokens or badges, used for rewarding posts or comments that are of high quality, and sometimes they are bought using Reddit coins.

11. Rank by size

The extent to which a subreddit or online community outranks another of the same kind, given the fact that it has a large number of members.

12. Members

The people who are actually subscribers and participate or follow a subreddit or an online community are counted as the members of those platforms.

13. Community rules

Made up by moderators, the community guidelines are the rules of conduct that users of a subreddit must obey in order to have quality discussions and an organized community.

14. Flair

̌A Reddit flair is sort of like a little tag you can put behind your name, but it only appears in the specific sub you were posting in. There are 2 types of flair post flair & user flair. Post flair can be customized based on the subreddit you are engaging with. It helps in building the authority of your post.

15. Crosspost

It means moving a post from one subreddit to another and ensuring that the original post remains linked.

16. Popular

The most-talked-about topics that receive the highest number of upvotes and engagement across various communities are usually the top trending posts on Reddit.

17. Tags

They are called labels and are used for grouping the posts, which literally helps the user to filter out only the posts that are of interest to them.

18. Free Awards

Awards distributed by Reddit without expecting users to buy them, usually on promotional or special occasions.

19. Insights

Analytics and data provided by Reddit to help users and moderators understand engagement, trends, and performance of posts or communities.

20. Reddit Pro

A cluster of instruments and characteristics purposely created for online moderators and enterprises, which enable them to administrate their communities efficiently, as well as a number of times it embraces analytics and community management tools.

21. Reddit for Advertisers

A marketplace where businesses can design and regulate the audience and plan of their ad campaigns to get to the users of the Reddit through promoted posts, targeted advertising, and banner ads.

Common Reddit Slang & Phrases

1. ELI5

"Explain Like I'm 5." It means that if somebody wants to talk to you about a complicated topic and you are new to it, then it should be explained in a simple way almost like you are only 5 years old. The point is that you understand it fully because of such an explanation.

2. OP

Original Poster, the one who started the thread or created the post in a discussion context.

3. Brigading

When people from one subreddit or online community to another one upvote or downvote posts or comments in large amounts, oftentimes for reshaping a conversation.

4. Mods

Short for "Moderators." These users are the ones that have the power to make sure the rules are followed by the users of a community on the platform. They have the authority to control their own actions as well as other users' actions.

5. Karma Whoring

The action where a user posts or comments purely for the purpose of gaining karma (Reddit’s point system for upvotes), often by repeating the same content or making jokes that are not helpful.

6. Shadowban

A type of ban that stops a user's comments and posts from being seen by anyone else, in a way that the user doesn't even notice. It’s used to prevent spam and unacceptable behaviour.

7. Stickied

A post that is attached to the top of a subreddit by administrators so that it remains in the spotlight for all users.

8. Bump

A comment placed in a post or thread to give it a better chance to be seen by other members; to become popular.

9. Reddiquette

A set of principles and tips to show good manners and proper behaviour for a better conversation on Reddit.

10. Gilded

A comment or a post that has received a Reddit Gold award (A gold is now a part of Reddit Premium) is a sign that the community appreciated it as it was a high-quality contribution.

11. Banana for growth

It is a funny expression used as a metaphor for people asking for upvotes, and the metaphor is set up in such a way that it is as if a monkey is asking for a banana to "grow" (gain karma).

12. Spambots

Automated accounts that share with Reddit and other forums spam, ads, and low-quality content.

13. Memes

Funny or very relevant images, texts, or videos that are circulating the web, usually used on Reddit for fun or the communication of jokes between the users of the site.

14. MFW; MRW

My Face When” and “My Reaction When”. Often posted with a gif or image, these are Reaction Initialisms used as shorthand as an exaggeration of how you might respond to a shock or surprise.

15. Misleading Subreddit Titles

Subreddit titles that don't tell the truth about the actual content are called Misleading Subreddit Titles. These can be due either to people being knowingly dishonest (like a practical joke or parody) or to unintentional reasons (because the community has changed its focus). The following are the most common causes of false subreddit titles:

• Satire/Irony – Some subreddits have names which are completely misleading on purpose and, as a result, it's very funny, these are usually technically correct but still absurd statements that are shared in r/technicallythetruth.

• Bait-and-Switch – Many subreddits are a good example where you think they are about one thing and when you look closer, they are clearly another thing but still carrying the same name. An example is r/mildlyinteresting where something really interesting gets posted.

• Community Shift – The original purpose of a subreddit may change over time, and ultimately, a title that represents dislocation from the original content will occur.

• Clickbait – The content of a subreddit may not be related to its title at all, whereas the title is written so that it's eye-catching, or provocative. It can be thrilling or controversial.

16. Moons

Community points, Reddit Moons. Reddit moons are essentially the reward token of the CryptoCurrency subreddit. These are earned by contributing on r/CryptoCurrency posts or comments.

17. FTFY

For redditors FTFY means Fixed that for you.

18. FWIW

For what it’s worth

19. TID

Today i discovered. It is a variation of “TIL” (Today I Learned).

20. TIHI

TIHI stands for “Thanks i hate it”.

21. TW

Trigger warning, the post contains reference or material that is known to cause serious and often negative reactions in some readers/viewers.

You Are Now A Master in Reddit Jargon

Now you have completed going through this guide, you have a clear idea of some of the most used terms and jargon in Reddit. It is not an exhaustive list, however, it gives you a great starting point and with it, you can delve into the platform.