https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/
created by llamageddon01 on 02/03/2021 at 15:24 UTC*
98 upvotes, 22 top-level comments (showing 22)
#Please go to our up-to-date version here: Encyclopaedia Redditica v2
This is a list of some common acronyms, initialisms, terms, memes, references and responses often used on the internet with an emphasis on those specifically used on Reddit. It’s a continual work in progress as one might expect, so do check back from time to time as new definitions or topics are added or existing ones revised.
Reddit is an English-speaking community, but it may not always seem that way. Like all subcultures, a specialised lexicon has developed over the years. These words or phrases make communication more efficient - and fun - for regular Redditors but can sometimes leave new or casual users confused. Reddit loves being self-referential, and this is an attempt to help you decode it - and even help you join in!
1: https://reddit.zendesk.com/hc/en-us
2: https://www.reddit.com/r/help/wiki/faq
The entries here have been decided and written by myself purely as a consequence of questions I have either asked or have been asked. Not all of the definitions given will apply in the same way to every sub and for individual sub problems or queries, always read the rules found in the Sidebar (on mobile this will be the About tab, Menu tab and Community Info found in the three dot “hamburger” menu top RH corner of your screen), any Pinned posts (these will have a lime green ‘pin’ icon on the top corner and will show on top when you sort the Subreddit by ‘Hot’) and Wiki (where there is one) to find out who and where it’s safe to ask first.
.........
Annual Reddit Events: Special Note
Award Types and Notifications: Special Note
Creating a Subreddit: Special Note
Posting Images on Reddit: Special Note
Problems with Passwords: Special Note
Relationship and Advice Subreddits: Special Note
Spelling and Grammar - Special Note
Useful Links, Resources and Subreddits: Special Note
........
Comment by llamageddon01 at 02/03/2021 at 15:30 UTC*
5 upvotes, 1 direct replies
- Markdown Text
Used in formatting Reddit posts to include **bold,** *italic,* ~~strikethrough~~ text etc. “New Reddit” for desktop or mobile browser has a “Fancy Pants” (rich text format) Editor, where you can choose various options from icons below the text entry field, or there’s a useful list here[1] for reference. There is a sub specifically to practice using this called r/test or you could use this incredibly useful tool at https://redditpreview.com[2].
1: https://www.reddit.com/wiki/markdown
Another Markdown primer is here[3] and there’s another version of the same information here[4]. *See Also:* Quoting.
4: https://www.reddit.com/r/raerth/comments/cw70q/reddit_comment_formatting/
- “May I see it?”
An innocuous phrase that is not quite how it appears. Originating in The Simpsons S07E21[5], this is a response often given to an absurd story in order to prompt a Steamed Hams script Comment Chain[6]. Reddit loves this particular pop-culture reference, and saying anything in the script[7] should start a Comment Chain or Copypasta. There’s even a Subreddit devoted to its memes at r/SteamedHams. *See Also:* Comment Chain, Copypasta, Puns & Pop-culture References, Snowclone.
5: https://youtu.be/4jXEuIHY9ic
7: https://mixels-lucky-screenshots.fandom.com/wiki/Steamed_Hams/Transcript
- “Maybe the real treasure was the friends we made along the way".
A phrase posted when people bemoan the fact that they’ve spent a great deal of effort to find what they've been led to believe would be valuable, only to find out that the value isn't what they expected. A long-standing movie trope called the “Worthless Treasure Twist”[8], this meme is seriously clichéd[9], making it an ideal Reddit response, often prompting a Comment Chain where ‘X’ and ‘Y’ refer to whatever the post was about:
8: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WorthlessTreasureTwist
9: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/maybe-the-real-treasure-was-the-friends-we-made-along-the-way
This is just one example of many phrasal templates known as ‘Snowclones’. *See Also:* Comment Chain, r/everyfuckingthread, Lost For Words, Puns & Pop-culture References, Snowclone.
- Memes
Reddit is still the internet. Memes that are “out there” are in here too, perhaps even more so as many originated on the myriad Reddit meme subreddits. Memes are supposed to be used repeatedly. Things like Woman Yelling at Cat[10] and Me and the Boys[11] are only funny because of the variety of ways they're used. So, use them. Use them widely and appropriately. There are too many dedicated Meme subs of varying quality to list here, but a good start would be:
11: https://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/bvuwfh/whats_up_with_those_me_and_the_boys_memes/
Always read the rules before commenting, posting or using the resources from an unfamiliar Subreddit. These will be found in the Sidebar (on mobile this will be the About tab, Menu tab and Community Info found in the three dot “hamburger” menu top RH corner of your screen), any Pinned posts (Search by “Hot” and the top two may have a lime green pin icon) and Wiki (where there is one). *See Also:* MFW; MRW, “Reactions”, TFW.
- Messages
See “Direct Messages”.
- Meta
A link or phrase posted when a comment or post increasingly becomes self-referential, for example Reddit discussing itself, a meme about memes, a conversation on the nature of conversations and so on. Meta refers to the idea of something being about itself. r/meta; It's So Meta Even This Acronym...
- 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. r/mrw. *See Also:* “Reactions”, TFW.
- Misleading Subreddit Titles
Not every Subreddit is as it would at first appear to be. There are many subs with misleading titles that are:
All have their different origin stories, sometimes in their Sidebar. There is also a whole network of former Porn subs[12] now repurposed to be all about cats (e.g. r/GirlsWithHugePussies, r/smallpussy, r/wetpussy). *See Also:* Adopting a Subreddit, Cursed Subs, Porn. Edit: Cat.
Comment by llamageddon01 at 07/03/2021 at 22:26 UTC*
3 upvotes, 1 direct replies
- F or "F" In The Comments.
Originally from “Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare” which had a funeral scene with the option “press F to pay respects”. People thought it was funny that they tried to make a cutscene interactive and now use it whenever something bad but funny happens to someone. There’s even an ‘F’ key Award. Trolls occasionally use it in response to genuine tragedy. Don’t be a troll. *See Also:* Comment Chain.
- Fake Subreddits
A link to another subreddit is often posted when the subject under discussion would fit there too. But you will also find links posted to subreddits that don’t exist; i.e. Fake Subreddits generated by someone putting the prefix r/ before a random word or phrase. r/likethis_forexample.
Because there is a Subreddit for everything, r/SubsIFellFor is a sub dedicated to documenting the times you fell for a fake sub that seemed real in comments but wasn’t.
Because there is a Subreddit for everything, r/subsiwishexisted is a sub dedicated to documenting the times you were disappointed at the times you fell for a fake sub that seemed real in comments but wasn’t.
Because there is a Subreddit for everything, r/wowthissubexists is a sub dedicated to documenting the times you thought you might be falling for a fake sub that seemed real in comments which is indeed real and does actually exist.
Because there is a Subreddit for everything, r/subsyoufellfor is a sub dedicated to bamboozling you into falling for a fake sub that seems real in comments which is indeed real and does actually exist but with no content or purpose other than the bamboozle you were meant to fall for by clicking the sub. Reddit loves being meta.
- False Equivalence
Very simplistically, this is where you make an argument based on a comparison of traits that misrepresents and mischaracterises those similar traits. For example: Redditors generally like dogs, and Hitler liked dogs, so Redditors are just like Hitler. An accusation of a logical fallacy is often used on Reddit when the OP’s goal of achieving common agreement is more important to them than utilizing sound reasoning. Usually it's done intentionally to persuade people of your point of view. Reddit is extremely pedantic about logical fallacies, of which this is one. Or is it? *See Also:* Cognitive Biases and Logical Fallacies.
- Famous Redditors
Some very famous people have Reddit accounts. Some, like Bill Gates[1], President Obama[2] and the late Stephen Hawking[3], hosted an r/IAmA (Bill Gates has done 9 so far!), while others like Rick Astley u/ReallyRickAstley to Wil Wheaton u/wil, and Deadmau5 u/reddit_mau5 can be found in the wild. There are many celebrity figures to be found in Reddit’s hallowed halls and they often go unnoticed[4], though some are admittedly more noticeable[5].
1: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/m8n4vt/im_bill_gates_cochair_of_the_bill_and_melinda/
2: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/z1c9z/i_am_barack_obama_president_of_the_united_states/
There’s a Ranker list[6] with some other instances. Often a celebrity will do an r/IAmA session especially if they have something to promote. Look on the Sidebar (or About tab) for forthcoming sessions on r/IAmA. *See Also:* Celebrity Redditors.
6: https://www.ranker.com/list/celebrities-on-reddit/celebrity-lists
- Feeds
There’s an enormous amount of content on Reddit, which is loosely organised into three main Feeds:
New users are automatically directed to two top feeds: r/all and r/popular. As you explore Reddit and find more niche communities suited to you, you can join them which will create your personal Home feed to see popular posts from those subreddits. You can always browse those individual subs directly, of course. You are not making any commitment to a sub by joining it, and you can leave or join it as many times as you like. There is no limit on the number of subs you can join. You don’t have to join a sub to be able to post or comment. *See Also:* Custom Feed, Hiding or Blocking a Subreddit in r/all, Home Feed, Sort.
- Flair
Has two meanings on Reddit; distinguishing your username or categorising your post. Some subreddits require you to have been given a User Flair by the mods before you can post[7] to prove you’re a verified user. Some subreddits require you to use a Post Flair and it simply won’t allow you to submit the post without prompting you to choose one. *See Also:* Post Flair, User Flair.
- Followers
“Following” someone on Reddit is not the same as other social media. The number of followers you have doesn’t show on your public profile to others except yourself. You won’t get notification that someone following you has read your post, liked or disliked it or even saved it to their favourites. *See Also:* Following: Special Note[8], Spambots.
8: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gtc552w/
- FOMO
“Fear Of Missing Out”. An initialism added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2013, describing ‘‘the uneasy and sometimes all-consuming feeling that you’re missing out; that your peers are doing, in the know about, or in possession of more or something better than you’’. It’s the compulsion that leads you to check social media again and again and again so you don’t feel left out of the loop.
- r/foundthemobileuser
A link or phrase posted when a user capitalizes the ‘r’ in a link to a subreddit or anything else that proves a user is on mobile. R/foundthemobileuser. Stupid Autocarrot. r/foundthemobileuser.
- Free Awards
Awards are normally purchased using Reddit Coins but you occasionally get given a free award by Reddit to confer on any post or comment you think is deserving. Check the yellow “Get Coins” icon at the top RH of the page - a red strikethrough will indicate a free award (or a special offer on purchasing coins) is available. When it says "free", you click on it and it gives an award that you can give within 24 hours. If you don’t use it, it will simply vanish. There is no set pattern to being given these awards; not one that Reddit lets on about in any event. The free awards are usually low cost with a general meaning; either Wholesome, Helpful, Reddit Silver or Hugz. However, you should know that the Wholesome Award has become notorious for being used to react inappropriately to serious events and tragedies among other situations[9]. Don’t do this. It isn’t nice.
9: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/reddit-awards
- Free Reddit Premium or Coins
Beware of the many subs offering Reddit upvotes or karma for little to no engagement. There are legitimate reasons to avoid them. However, there are some Subreddits which invite you to compete for useful Reddit goodies in an engaging and fun way. Warning: some might even become addictive.
As always, it is extremely important to read the rules carefully before posting in a sub that’s new to you, but especially so in the competition subreddits. Some of them may have minimum Karma requirements and all of them will have rules about Post format. Like all Subreddits, the rules will be found in the Sidebar (on mobile this will be the About tab, Menu tab and Community Info found in the three dot “hamburger” menu top RH corner of your screen), any Pinned posts (these will have a lime green ‘pin’ icon on the top corner and will show on top when you sort the Subreddit by ‘Hot’) and Wiki (where there is one). Browse a few different posts to get a feel of the place before participating.
r/freegold - Free Gold under certain circumstances. Rules for freegold
r/Predictor - Rules for Predictor
There will be more out there. There will always be more out there. Because the posts in these subs have to be high in quality, these aren’t generally considered to be Karmafarms, so, good luck! *See Also:* Award Types and Notifications, Gold; Gilding or Guilding, Karma Farming, Reddit Premium.
- FTFY
“Fixed That For You”. A small edit of a previous comment that changes the meaning in a (sometimes) fundamental and (almost always) humorous way. Often used with the unedited quote ~~crossed out~~ as strikethrough text. *See Also:* Markdown Text.
- FWIW
“For What It's Worth”. You can ignore this Encyclopaedia Redditica but FWIW I think you should read it anyway.
Comment by llamageddon01 at 02/03/2021 at 15:33 UTC*
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
- T-Shirt Posts
If you see a post about a T-Shirt in any way, it probably isn’t what it seems to be, especially if the picture is captioned “If you want this t-shirt, say yes in the Comments”[1] or similar. The likelihood of it being a Spambot is very, very high. **Why you should not buy T-shirts/hoodies/mugs linked in comments.**[2] Do not engage with it; just use the Report button (as Spam), post it at r/TheseFuckingAccounts and move on. *See Also:* “If you want this t-shirt, say yes in the Comments”, Karmafarms, Shills, Spambots, T-Shirt Posts.
1: https://www.reddit.com/r/CatSlaps/comments/noeft6/cat/
2: https://www.reddit.com/r/httyd/comments/cl3el6/
- “Take my upvote and leave.”
A phrase posted when you see something that makes you laugh and cry at the same time and you want to upvote it but don’t. But do. Normally across Reddit, mentioning upvotes is a dangerous game and you would quite rightly expect to be downvoted. However, one exception is the “reluctant upvote” or the “angry upvote”. Use this phrase when you see a ridiculous post that is still good, like a really bad joke or overused meme that nevertheless works perfectly in “that” particular situation. Variants of this phrase include:
Because there is a Subreddit for everything, when you are opposed to the idea of upvoting there’s r/Angryupvote for when you upvote something but are mad about it, and r/UpvoteFamily for additional types of upvotes. *See Also:* Copypasta, "I regret that I have but one upvote to give.", Upvote.
- TBH
“To Be Honest”. TBH I thought nobody would read this far down.
- r/technicallythetruth
A link or phrase posted when the information given is technically true, but far from the expected answer. Lies somewhere between (technically) the truth and ‘dad’ jokes. r/technicallythetruth.
- Tendies
“Chicken Tenders”, which WSB uses as slang for profits on a trade. See https://www.reddit.com/r/wallstreetbets/wiki/glossary[3].
3: https://www.reddit.com/r/wallstreetbets/wiki/glossary
- TFW
“That Feeling When.” Often posted with a gif or image, this is a Reaction Initialism generally used as a caption or response to a photo, meme or clever joke about something out of the ordinary that has happened to you. *See Also:* MFW; MRW, “Reactions”.
- r/thatHappened
A link or phrase posted when people tell outrageous tall tales that would make Walter Mitty proud. Totally true stories that definitely 100% happened, I swear you guys, everyone clapped at the end. r/nothingeverhappens is a sub that makes fun of the tendency of r/thatHappened to question entirely believable stories. Reddit loves Meta. Reddit loves scepticism. Here, we have both! r/thatHappened. *See Also:* r/quityourbullshit, r/untrustworthypoptarts.
- r/thatshowthingswork
A link posted when a Redditor tried to be serious, but accidentally explained the obvious instead. This does not apply to memes, jokes, or satire articles. As the sub says, Well yeah, that's how that works... r/thatshowthingswork.
- “The Big List of Retired Questions”
Old Reddit Lore still pops up from time to time. Here’s a handy reference list to some of it.[4] *See Also:* Reddit Lore.
4: https://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/wiki/index/retired_questions
- “The Narwhal Bacons at Midnight”
Old, very old[5], but here because it still occasionally resurfaces. *See Also:* Reddit Lore, “The Big List of Retired Questions”.
5: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/the-narwhal-bacons-at-midnight
- r/TheRealJoke
A link posted when the better joke is found in the comments than the one made in the post. r/TheRealJoke.
-“There’s a Subreddit for everything”
A phrase posted to express amazement at finding an extremely obscure or weird sub. Have I told you yet that Reddit loves being meta? Post these links or phrases whenever you find something bizarrely fitting:
To find those bizarrely fitting subs, here’s a list of weird subs[6] and a list of obscure subs at r/obscuresubreddits. Because bizarre stuff happens in real life too, the sub r/ofcoursethatsathing is for all the things that make you go "Of COURSE that's a thing".
6: https://www.reddit.com/r/ListOfSubreddits/comments/fi8rvg/list_of_weird_subreddits/
7: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gtc2rbz/
- r/theydidthemath r/theydidthemonstermath
A link posted when someone performs a useless but interesting calculation, such as Aladdin & Jasmine’s magic carpet ride[8]. The expected response to somebody posting r/theydidthemath is then to post r/theydidthemonstermath, which is a play on the 1962 Bobby Pickett novelty song "The Monster Mash"[9], the chorus of which goes "They did the Mash!/They did the Monster Mash". At one time, this would then be followed by someone posting r/itwasagraveyardgraph before turning into a huge alternating Comment Chain with Bots and Fake Subreddits; not so much now. Reddit loves running jokes. Sometimes.
8: https://www.reddit.com/r/theydidthemath/comments/26q90q/aladdin_did_the_math/
9: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vNuVifA7DSU
- r/theyknew
A link or phrase posted when innocent things appear to be anything but, though it's totally not intentional; or when you’re not quite sure whether an accidental double entendre or “...ism” was deliberate or not. But you’re pretty sure it was. Often accompanied by an emoticon ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) They Knew. r/theyknew, r/AccidentalRacism.
- This
Posting the single word “this” as a reply is an indication that you agree wholeheartedly with a comment and want to draw attention to it. Reddit preferred variants are This^ or This. One-word comments are often heavily downvoted, so make sure you say something else as well. However, like all things, there are exceptions in special circumstances. *See Also:* Cat. or cat., Comment Chain, r/everyfuckingthread.
- “This is the newest project of him?”
No, it absolutely isn’t. Elon Musk[10] is Reddit’s darling. This has unfortunately led to fake timepiece scammers posting this phrase all over Reddit. u/ScamWatchReporter is a Redditor documenting and reporting such instances, and says: *“(The poster of) Airframe Black or Airframe Black Watch, Basedox black, Gripzip black, Midover black (the name changes once people catch on) is a SPAM account. Elon Musk does not advocate this product, has never tweeted about this product, and knows nothing about it. These are false claims to legitimize their scam product.”*
10: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2rgsan/i_am_elon_musk_ceocto_of_a_rocket_company_ama/
If you see such posts, report the users as being Spam or Link Farmers via the Report option in the three dot hamburger menu or at https://www.reddit.com/report[11] and document them at r/ScamWatchReporter or r/TheseFuckingAccounts. *See Also:* r/elonmusk, Shills, Spambots.
11: https://www.reddit.com/report
Comment by llamageddon01 at 02/03/2021 at 15:34 UTC*
2 upvotes, 3 direct replies
- /s
Used at the end of a comment to denote when sarcasm is being attempted. Obviously. /s *See Also:* Tone Indicators.
- Sauce?
A word posted to request source material for a quote, statistic, image, single comic panel or other such random items carrying no explanation of where they came from. Shorter to type than [Citation needed]. Substantiate those claims, people! You don’t want to be called out and end up at r/quityourbullshit. Even those posting in r/outofcontextcomics get asked for a source occasionally[1].
- Searching a Subreddit
Many a newcomer to Reddit has been admonished for not searching the Subreddit before posting what turned out to be the single most posted picture of all time or asking what they didn’t realise was the most frequently asked question on the sub. Reddit’s native search isn’t currently the best, but it’s still the easiest and quickest way to find what you’re looking for. This animated guide[2] shows you the different functions available to you.
2: https://www.reddit.com/r/SolariaHues/comments/oihfal/how_to_search_a_subreddit/
- Search Optimising
There’s a history of millions of posts for you to search on Reddit. However, finding exactly what you’re looking for requires you to know a few tricks. Reddit’s Field Search uses specific terms to filter results and narrow down your search to the content you’re looking for. There are currently nine of these[3].
3: https://www.reddit.com/wiki/search
For instance, if want to find a post you've made in a specific subreddit, go to that sub and in the search bar type in: author:your-username and filter it just for that sub if needed. That'll bring up everything you posted there. There’s no need to add the u/ of your username in this search. Alternatively, if you're just searching for specific keywords from your own comments you can use this tool: https://www.redditcommentsearch.com[4] to type in your username exactly in the username field, and put your keywords in the search query field.
4: https://www.redditcommentsearch.com
You can even use such ‘search operators’ on Google. In the Google search bar type in site:reddit.com your-username again without the u/. In fact, there are many different ways of making Google more efficient for you[5]. *See Also:* Useful Links, Resources and Subreddits: Special Note[6].
5: https://helpdeskgeek.com/how-to/advanced-google-searching-using-search-operators/
6: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gtc2rbz/
- [Serious]
Used in a post title asking for serious responses only. Originally a sub specific label from r/askreddit now with wider Reddit usage. Using this tag will alert the mods to remove funny or joke responses to your post. Some subs have this as a Post Flair.
- SFW
“Safe For Work”. Posted as reassurance the link or Subreddit quoted is not adult content. Used especially when linking a sub with a dubious name such as r/anime_titties which apart from April Fools day is a serious world news sub, or with a mock NSFW tag such as r/chairsunderwater where NSFW stands for 'Not Submerged Fully in Water'. *See Also:* NSFW, r/rimjob_steve.
- Shadowban
A ban given by the Reddit Admins or the automatic spam filter. In mid 2021, the tightening of these filters led to an inordinate number of new users being instantly Shadowbanned[7] through no fault of their own.
7: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/ok6906/a_note_on_shadowbans/
Being Shadowbanned can happen for many reasons, and here are some very useful tips on avoiding one[8]. A shadowbanned user’s posts and comments will continue to show up for them, but other people won’t see them except for the mods of the subreddit they post in, who will only see a ‘greyed out’ post or comment marked with a red dustbin icon. A user will not get a notification if they get shadowbanned, but if they suspect this has happened can check their status at r/ShadowBan or r/ShadowBanned. If the answer is yes, lodge an appeal directly to Admin at https://www.reddit.com/appeals[9].
8: https://www.reddit.com/r/ShadowBan/comments/8a2gpk/an_unofficial_guide_on_how_to_avoid_being/
9: https://www.reddit.com/appeals
Another useful tool is Comment Removal Checker[10] but read the rules before commenting. r/CommentRemovalChecker. More information can be found at https://www.reddithelp.com/[11] The Reddit FAQ has more information https://www.reddit.com/r/help/wiki/faq[12].
10: https://www.reddit.com/r/CommentRemovalChecker/comments/9u0zes/how_to_use_what_is_this/
11: https://www.reddithelp.com/
12: https://www.reddit.com/r/help/wiki/faq
- Shill
A ‘shill’ is an accomplice in the crowd of a con game to make the fakery seem real. In Reddit terms, a Shill is a Redditor (probably a bot account) who is promoting merchandise disguised as a Post. Be very wary of random posts in any sub from unfamiliar Redditors showing off items such as T-Shirts or mugs, even if the caption says things like “Got this for a friend” or “Look what arrived today!”. They are waiting for you to reply, and hey presto, you both get permabanned from the sub. Like I did once, accidentally. But permanently. If you suspect a post to be a Shill, do not engage with it; just use the Report button and move on. *See Also:* Bots, Karma Farming: Special Note[13], Spambots, Spambots: Special Note[14].
13: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gx5a5ij/
14: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/guez6zw/
- Shitpost
An accusatory term for a post that’s low effort or intentionally trolling. You can also use the term to describe just casual internet activity; "I'm sat here shitposting all day cause I'm so bored". Not necessarily a low quality post *per se*, there are numerous examples of "quality shitposts" that had a lot of thought put into them and are legitimately entertaining, but can still be called shitposts because the content of the post is outlandish, offensive, or off-topic. r/shitpost, r/shitposting.
- Sidebar
Also known as the “About” tab on mobile. This is the list of essential information pertaining to a specific subreddit. On desktop, at the top of the sidebar you will find a link to submit a post and a link to search the subreddit. It also contains the link to "subscribe/unsubscribe" from that subreddit. Underneath that it generally lists the rules, guidelines, relevant information, similar subreddits, etc. Always read the rules before commenting or posting on an unfamiliar Subreddit. These will be found in the Sidebar (on mobile this will be the About tab, Menu tab and Community Info found in the three dot “hamburger” menu top RH corner of your screen), any Pinned posts (Search by “Hot” and the top two may have a lime green pin icon) and Wiki (where there is one). *See Also:* About, Hamburger Menu, Pinned, Rules.
- SMH
“Shaking My Head”. Disbelief or disappointment. You didn’t know this? SMH
- Snoo
The Reddit alien mascot logo[15]. Snoo represents Reddit’s friendly, conversational community aspect. The name "Snoo" (short for "What's new") is a derivative of an early name for Reddit prior to its launch[16].
15: https://i.imgur.com/QCLf8Yn.png
16: https://imgur.com/a/Yf4Hs/layout/blog
- Snoovatar
Your very own Snoo designed by you for your profile. Reddit Premium subscribers get many more “dress-up” options and a sparkly glow on their Snoovatars. A small version of this will appear next to your username on posts and comments.
- Snowclone
You already know what a Snowclone[17] *is*, probably just not its name. Coined by American linguists Geoffrey K. Pullum and Glen Whitman[18], the term came from needing a name for “...a multi-use, customizable, instantly recognizable, time-worn, quoted or misquoted phrase or sentence that can be used in an entirely open array of different jokey variants by lazy journalists and writers.” Notable examples of Snowclones include:
17: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowclone
18: http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/000350.html
Snowclone variants are usually rooted in pop-culture references[19], making them an ideal Reddit response to most situations, often prompting a Comment Chain where ‘X’ and ‘Y’ refer to whatever the post was about. *See Also:* Comment Chain, r/everyfuckingthread, Lost For Words, “Maybe the real treasure was the friends we made along the way", Puns & Pop-culture References.
19: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/snowclone
Comment by llamageddon01 at 02/03/2021 at 15:37 UTC*
2 upvotes, 2 direct replies
- r/
This is used when you are mentioning a Subreddit, for example r/NewToReddit. Using this gives a direct link to that sub.
- Rage Face, Rage Comic
You’ve seen them, you were bemused by them, you just didn’t know what they were called. A Rage Comic[1] is a short cartoon strip using a growing set of pre-made scribbled cartoon faces (Rage Faces), which usually express rage or some other simple emotion or activity. They are usually crudely drawn in Microsoft Paint or other simple drawing programs, and were most popular in the early 2010s[2]. Appearing all over Reddit, r/fffffffuuuuuuuuuuuu (also known as F7U12) is their seemingly immortal home.
1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rage_comic
- “Reactions”
Often posted with a gif or image, Reactions are used as shorthand to convey an exaggeration of how you might respond to a given situation, whether it be hypothetical or based on experiences of real life. They can take the form of Reaction Initialisms or Reaction Images which can be used in lieu of words. These are often rooted in pop-culture references ranging from images of people[3] with or without accompanying text or gifs of people[4] making exaggerated facial gestures, to images featuring stick men[5] on computer desktops or mouse cursors performing a variety of drag and drop gestures[6] all used on Reddit to describe how you feel at reading the post or comment you are replying to. r/reactionimages, r/ReactionMemes, r/reactionpics. *See Also:* Memes, MFW; MRW, Puns & Pop-culture References, TFW.
3: https://www.cnet.com/news/picard-memes-patrick-stewart-best-viral-star-trek-moments/
5: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/computer-reaction-faces
6: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/drag-and-drop-reaction-gifs
In 2020, Reddit turned 15 years old, and Mashable did a retrospective here[7]. Another article celebrating our rich and varied history can be found here[8] with graphs showing “the Evolution of Reddit”. The Wikipedia Page is also fascinating reading as always[9].
7: https://mashable.com/article/reddit-history-15th-anniversary/?europe=true
8: http://www.randalolson.com/2013/03/12/retracing-the-evolution-of-reddit-through-post-data/
9: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reddit
For official information about Reddit itself, see:
- Reddit Coins
Reddit’s currency. See “Coins”.
- The Reddit Hug of Death
A link or phrase posted when someone posts a link to a smaller website saying "Everyone, look at this website!" and everyone does, causing a massive increase in traffic. This sudden influx of visitors overloads the smaller site, causing it to cripple the media servers[12], slowing the site down or even rendering it temporarily unavailable. This has the same effect as a denial-of-service (DDOS) attack, albeit accidentally. Also known as “The Slashdot effect” but not on Reddit. Here’s an account of one from 2016[13].
13: https://medium.com/codingame/story-of-a-reddit-hug-of-death-and-lessons-learned-3565bb8a6793
- “Reddit is strange like that.”
A phrase posted when Reddit doesn’t behave the way you expected, and you make your opinion known. We have our own peculiarities here at Reddit; you can make the world’s best Meme and it gets no attention. Then someone reposts it and it gets all the upvotes and awards Reddit can give. Or the Post you spent an hour carefully crafting with thoughtful information, sound references and insightful conclusion will be completely ignored while your four second response to a cat video will be upvoted to oblivion. Random offhand remarks are more likely to gain attention for reasons nobody’s entirely sure of, because Reddit is strange like that. Infuriated? Tell them at r/mildlyinfuriating but probably not at r/Infuriating, r/extremelyinfuriating, r/infuriatingasfuck or r/insanelyinfuriating.
- Reddit Lore
Reddit has been around for over 15 years; positively ancient by internet standards. During that time, like all subcultures it has developed its own legendary stories that get referenced from time to time. You may come across the odd mention of (for example) the poop knife (ew. Just ew.) or the Swamps of Dagobah. Here they are in three woeful collections[14].
Be warned, some of these require a strong stomach[15] and some links from all three of these lists will be NSFW[16]. *See Also:* “The Big List of Retired Questions”.
- Redditor
A Reddit user. You! And me! Hello, dear Redditor! The name Reddit can be understood as both a blend of the words “read” and “edit”, as well as a pun on the phrase “I read it”. Its users are known as Redditors, a shortened version of Reddit editors.
- Reddit Moment
A link posted when Reddit commentary or discussion gets so self-referential it may evoke feelings of awkwardness, embarrassment or even pity. The phrase is a particularly popular way to mock times when a Redditor is demonstrating how they believe Reddit is the superior social networking platform in contrast with other sites. Which, of course, it is. r/redditmoment. *See Also:* Meta.
- Reddit Moons
Reddit is experimenting with a feature in limited communities called Community Points[17]. Community Points will be a way for users to be rewarded for their contributions with a unit of ownership in their Subreddit. Community Points can be earned, tipped, won, collected, and spent on unique items within a community. Each subreddit has its own stylisation of Community Points, and the ones in r/CryptoCurrency are known as Moons[18]. There’s a summary of what’s happening here[19]. *See Also:* Community Points.
17: https://www.reddit.com/community-points/
18: https://www.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/gj96lb/introducing_rcryptocurrency_moons/
19: https://www.kraken.com/en-gb/learn/what-is-reddit-moon
- Reddit Premium
Pay monthly to support Reddit https://www.reddit.com/premium[20] and get ad-free browsing and exclusive stuff for your Redditing. Small periods of Reddit Premium (with a smaller range of exclusive stuff) can be gifted to other Redditors by giving certain Awards. You get a Trophy on your Profile when you have Premium Reddit. Buying or being gifted Premium entitles you to access certain private subreddits. *See Also:* Award Types and Notifications: Special Note[21], Private Subreddits, Trophies.
20: https://www.reddit.com/premium
21: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gtc4d8g/
- Reddiquette
An informal set of guidelines to follow before commenting or submitting posts on Reddit. You might not be banned for not following Reddiquette, but you will probably be showered in downvotes. Reddiquette[22].
22: https://www.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205926439
Comment by llamageddon01 at 02/03/2021 at 15:39 UTC*
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
- r/ObviousPlant, u/obviousplant
A link or phrase posted when people fall for a satirical product made by the prankster ObviousPlant[1] by mistaking it for a genuine product. This Subreddit documents the times people fell for one of his pranks or fake toys[2] thinking it might be a bootleg “knock-off”. r/ObviousPlant. *See Also:* r/AwesomeOffBrands, r/chrissimpsonsartist, r/crappyoffbrands, r/RipOffBrands, r/sbubby, r/woooosh.
2: https://www.boredpanda.com/funny-fake-products-obvious-plant/
- OC
“Original Content”. Stuff you made yourself. Don’t ever post other people’s stuff and call it OC; Redditors are quicker than bloodhounds and will sniff it out within minutes. Downvotes and maybe even worse will surely follow. You don’t want to appear on r/quityourbullshit.
- Official Reddit Announcements
Every so often, Reddit needs to make general announcements meant to reach all users. These are usually about changes to the Reddit interface, updates, bug fixes, changes to the Content Policy or starting/discontinuing Reddit processes or campaigns. Sometimes these appear in a banner notice at the top of your page when you first open Reddit, but not always.
To be sure you don’t miss anything, I recommend you subscribe to the following official subreddits. They won’t clog up your feed as they aren’t the busiest of places, but will help ensure you don’t miss anything you might need to know:
r/announcements - Official announcements from team Reddit.
r/blog - Official blog subreddit, updated regularly with news. Also has links to Reddit’s presence on other social media.
r/changelog - Official information from Reddit, Inc. on minor updates and bug fixes applied to Reddit.
r/redditmobile - An official community for announcements from Reddit, Inc. and discussion about official Reddit apps for mobile phones and tablets.
r/redditsecurity - A running log of actions taken to improve the security of Reddit.
r/modnews - An official community for announcements from Reddit, Inc. pertaining to moderation.
- One-word Replies
One-word replies are often seen as low-quality and often frowned upon in Reddit. So don’t post them. Except when you should. You have to know the rules to know when you can break them and some notable exceptions are Cat. or cat., (when you see a cat in a picture), Nice., (when you see the number 69), This^ or This., (when you want to agree with a point). Reddit loves in-jokes. *See Also:* Cat. or cat., Comment Chain, r/everyfuckingthread, Hivemind, This.
- Online status controls
A recent (2021) addition to your Reddit Profile is your Online Status. This is optional. If you don’t want to share your online status, you can disable the feature by tapping the Online Status button below your Snoovatar, or the ‘privacy options’ section of your preferences, uncheck ‘Let others see my online status’ then click ‘save options’.
When you turn off Online Status, people won’t see any status for you at all - not even an indicator saying that you’re offline or that you’ve selected ‘Off’. Accounts that you’ve blocked will never see your online status. Additionally, if an account is banned from a community, they won't be able to see the online status of anyone in that community. Here’s what the updated status and controls will look like[3].
3: https://preview.redd.it/jf9ncycvzfn61.png
- OP
“Original Poster”. The person who made the submission that is now being commented upon. I am the OP of this post. It’s easier to refer to me as OP instead of having to type my username and risk ��pinging” me every single time. *See Also:* Ping, /u.
- Orangered
Orangered refers to the colour (orange/red) of the envelope that glowed when you had a new Direct Message (before it was replaced with the bell icon) and the default Upvote arrow. r/dataisbeautiful gives a good explanation with an infographic[4].
Orangered (FF4500, PMS 172 C), is actually Reddit’s primary brand color, chosen for its vibrancy & distinctiveness.[5] It has provoked arguments[6], and sparked a conflict[7] which led to having its own trophy[8] as did its opponent[9]. *See Also:* Annual Reddit Events: Special Note[10].
5: https://www.redditinc.com/brand
6: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/rdankmemes-upvote-arrow-color-debate
8: https://www.reddit.com/r/TrophyWiki/comments/f0prgq/reddit_trophy_team_orangered/
9: https://www.reddit.com/r/TrophyWiki/comments/f0prvr/reddit_trophy_team_periwinkle/
10: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gt97g3d/
- Other Useful Lexicons
As I say in the preface: “This is a list of some common acronyms, initialisms, terms, memes, references and responses often used on the internet with an emphasis on those specifically used on Reddit. ...in no way intended to be definitive...”. There are far more Internet terms and memes and pop-culture references than I could possibly cover here, and some valuable resources include:
r/coolguides, r/tvtropes. *See Also:* Internet Adages, Memes, Puns & Pop-culture References.
11: https://allthetropes.fandom.com/wiki/All_The_Tropes_Wiki
14: https://www.urbandictionary.com
Comment by llamageddon01 at 08/03/2021 at 20:17 UTC*
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
- DAE
“Does Anyone Else”. Originally sub specific from r/DAE and r/DoesAnybodyElse now with wider Reddit usage.
- Dealing with Trolls
Why some people are so angry - about a multitude of topics - puzzles me. That they have no qualms or conscience about venting their disdain for other people online is mystifying. Sadly, it seems it’s just the reality of the world we live in today, and no matter how hard you try, sometimes snark just happens. It isn’t pleasant. It always feels targeted.
If a similar situation happens to you and you start feeling like people are attacking you, **stop responding.** Don’t double down or try to explain. Your emotions may be telling you to confront, and the anonymity of social media gives us the illusion that we can get away with aggression. But you won’t get very far against the Expert Professional who’s well seasoned and practised at internet trolling and you might only make things worse. You might not want to go back to that sub but you don’t want to be permabanned from it either. But all is not lost. Your best response is no response and I’ll tell you exactly why. **Trolls Hate This One Simple Trick.**
Remember, other people only understand stuff from their level of perception, and moving out of that level is rarely achieved by discourse with someone they perceive to be on a lower level of awareness than them. There’s nothing to be gained by arguing with them; if you ever encounter one just downvote them, move on and leave them to simmer in their own self-righteousness. Why?
Because you can put money down on that person now refreshing the page constantly, even frantically, to no avail waiting for your reply and the chance to win the closure they’ll never get. Instead, let them spend their time gleefully fomenting the perfect snarky reply to your next comment and inwardly revel at the fact they’ll be devastated when they can’t use it because you moved on in a mature fashion and they didn’t.
- Deleted or Removed
Comments can be deleted by the originator, mod, admin or automod bot. When the username says ‘deleted’ and the body of the post says ‘removed’, this usually implies a moderator, admin, or spam filter action removed the comment. If the user deleted their post, both username and body will say ‘deleted’. Admin removed comments may also say something to the effect of ‘Removed by Reddit for X’ where X is a reason.
Deleting or removing a comment will only remove that particular comment. If the comment still exists as part of a discussion, only the comment and username will be removed. Redditors cannot delete other users comments so the rest of the comment thread will remain intact. When a post has been removed by the mods it will remain in your post/comment history.
In some extreme cases it means the user has deleted their account after a negative comment spurs controversy or could "out them" if they gave away too many personal details etc. People sometimes create single-use Throwaway Accounts for posting on subjects that they may not want associated with their regular account for whatever reason and delete them afterwards. Sometimes a whole comment chain will say “removed”. Speculation about how that happened goes on at r/removed. *See Also:* Shadowban, Vote Arrows hidden or greyed-out on Posts.
- Diamond Hands
See https://www.reddit.com/r/wallstreetbets/wiki/glossary[1].
1: https://www.reddit.com/r/wallstreetbets/wiki/glossary
- Direct Chat
A form of private messaging on Reddit (the speech bubble icon). You’ll get a request to chat which you can either accept or refuse. It is a good idea to check the posting history of the requester before you accept; that'll give you a better idea of whether they're acting in good faith or not. You should start a chat when you expect to be talking to someone for a longer period of time, or if you think you may wish to continue at an unspecified date in the future. With Direct Chat, you can see the whole thread of your conversations with one person at any one time.
Because the Chat facility is frequently used by Spambots, you can change it by going to User Settings - Chat & Messaging so only accounts older than 30 days can chat with you. It can also be turned off entirely in the same way. You'll see options for "Who can send you" Chat Requests/Private Messages, and 'Nobody' is an option for both. *See Also:* Spambots.
- Direct Message
A Direct Message (or DM) is another mode of private communication on Reddit. Communications specifically to you from Reddit (e.g. bans, suspensions, mods deleting posts etc.) will be made this way; also some notifications that you have received an award from someone or welcome messages to some subreddits.
Please note that accounts with no-or-low Karma cannot send DMs[2]. Direct Messages are only sortable by date and personal conversations can easily get lost down the page. You can DM someone by clicking on their name. DM options can be turned on and off in your Account Settings (the options on your username tab on mobile).
- Discord
Discord is a voice, video and text communication service. A semi-private hosting service for chatting, many subreddits have their own Discord server. r/discordapp.
- “Does *subreddit* contain profanity?"
You may have seen this or similar questions[3] pop up occasionally. Reddit is currently working on a classification system[4] to help in filtering content. Over recent months, Reddit has removed certain NSFW subreddits[5] from r/all, and are crowdsourcing our help in tagging subreddit content[6] to broaden this even more. *See Also:* Hiding or Blocking a Subreddit in r/all.
4: https://www.reddit.com/r/modnews/comments/hoac3v/keeping_reddit_real_subreddit_content/
5: https://www.reddit.com/r/changelog/comments/lhnvok/removing_sexually_explicit_content_from_rall/
- “Doggo Speak”
Is your “pupper smol but angy?” Want to “boop that snoot”? Got a “heckin’ chonker of a danger noodle” you want to show off? This is cutesy speak presented as what humans have long believed goes on in the canine brain[7]. Originally specific to cute animal subs now with wider Reddit usage. Use at your peril. r/doggohate absolutely love the animals, but really hate the cutesy talk. *See Also:* Boop.
7: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DoggoLingo
Comment by llamageddon01 at 09/03/2021 at 15:23 UTC*
2 upvotes, 2 direct replies
- Cakeday
When a person loves Reddit very much, they make an account. Cake Day is an annual celebration of that love. Sometimes also known as your Redditversary and even “Spotify Blue Cheese day”, this happens every year on the anniversary you created your Reddit account[1]. You get a little slice of cake next to your name for the day and the Age Trophy on your profile will go up one number. You can even ask for Karma on this day in r/cakeday and r/Spotifycheese.
It is customary in most subreddits to say “Happy Cake Day!” whenever you see the cake icon next to a username whether you know the Redditor or not. Do this with caution; some of the more restrictive subs will class this as “unnecessary clutter”. However, there’s also a button on some versions of Reddit that you can press to say “Happy Cake Day”. Do it! It’s a Reddit Thing to do. The usual response is “Thank you, Kind Redditor.” Reddit loves rituals. Your Cakeday is shown on your Profile and can also be found on http://www.redditcakeday.com[2].
2: http://www.redditcakeday.com
- “Came here to say this.”
A phrase used to indicate someone else in the comments said something you wanted to say, whether it be a joke, a reference or an observation. Often downvoted so use with caution. Can sometimes prompt a Comment Chain[3]. Nothing at all to do with r/CameHereToSayThis where you go to say This. *See Also:* Comment Chain.
- Cat. or cat.
One-word replies are often seen as low-quality and often frowned upon in Reddit. Yet sometimes you will see huge one-word comment chains saying "cat", some with many upvotes. In the subreddit r/catsstandingup, you're only allowed to comment "Cat." So, naturally, whenever a post or picture features a cat, posting "Cat." carried over to the rest of Reddit. It’s important to note here that in r/catsstandingup, the C in “Cat.” is capitalized, whereas in r/catssittingdown, the C in “cat.” is lower case. Subreddit or social experiment? The answer is always: Cat. or cat. And, oh, before I forget: Cat. *See Also:* Comment Chain, Hivemind, One-word Replies.
- Cat tax
It is virtually mandatory on Reddit that if the story you’re telling involves a cat or dog, a Cat Tax is required; i.e. you need to post or link a picture of said cat or dog. If you don’t have one, any random cat or dog picture from the internet will suffice. Despite the name, this doesn’t just apply to cats and dogs; most animals have been required for taxation at some time or another. Obligatory Llama tax[4].
4: https://youtu.be/f95cHmw_6Sk
- Celebrity Redditors
Reddit is about the content, not the people, and because of this, you'll be freshly judged by what you say every single time you post or comment. Reddit celebrities are therefore few and far between, but like everything there are a few exceptions you may encounter on your travels:
5: https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/3aungz/hi_im_sam_garland_aka_upoem_for_your_sprog_ive/
6: https://www.reddit.com/r/ilikthebred/comments/84lkuj/how_to_write_a_good_i_lik_the_bred_poem/
There are more. There are always more. I may well add more.
- Chat
See “Direct Chat”.
- r/chrissimpsonsartist
Chris (Simpsons Artist) is an illustrator known for his bizarre, naïve art-style depictions of characters from various cartoons, live-action television series and films. Mentioned here because pictures from his book “The Story of Life” are often erroneously found on r/badwomensanatomy. r/chrissimpsonsartist. *See Also:* r/AteTheOnion, r/woooosh.
- Circlejerk
A group of people with similar beliefs that self-validate each other, suppress opposing opinions, do not consider that alternate opinions exist, or consider themselves, their opinion, or their group exclusive/superior. Originally from r/circlejerk; a parody subreddit that considers the majority of Reddit a circlejerk. Here’s a simple recipe for a classic circlejerk:
r/circlejerk. *See Also:* Copypasta, Hivemind, r/iamverysmart, LARP; LARPer.
- CMV
“Change My View”. Originally sub specific from r/changemyview, now with wider Reddit usage. Describes when you are open to hearing opinions to persuade or change your mind. r/changemyview is a sub to post an opinion you accept may be flawed in an effort to understand other perspectives on the issue. Enter with a mindset for conversation, not debate.
- Cognitive Biases and Logical Fallacies
Cognitive Biases and Logical Fallacies are common accusations and practices on Reddit. Fake or deceptive arguments, "junk cognition," (arguments that seem irrefutable but prove nothing), the highlighting of errors in reasoning to undermine the logic of your argument, or irrelevant points made deliberately to derail your comment, Reddit has them all!
Thankfully, help is on hand. These are incredibly easy to follow illustrated guides to help you shape your responses.
Beginner’s guide to Academic Discourse
Of course, you could also just say “no u”[7] or even “eat pant”[8] and scroll away. But where’s the fun in that? r/philosophy (if you’re really serious about discussion). *See Also:* Brandolini's Law, Dunning-Kruger effect, False Equivalence, Internet Adage, Strawman Argument.
7: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=no%20u
8: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/bootleg-bart
- Coins (or Reddit Coins)
Reddit’s virtual currency with which you buy Awards to give to posts or comments you particularly like. You have the option of paying real money for Coins, or you can earn one of the larger Awards to get free Coins. Premium subscribers get 700 coins monthly to spend. *See Also:* Award Types and Notifications: Special Note[9], Free Awards/Free Coins/Free Reddit Premium.
9: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gtc4d8g/
- Collapse Comments
Sometimes a huge post that has many replies can be hard to read. If you're on mobile, you can hold the Parent Comment and it will collapse it and all of its Child Comments. If you're on desktop, you can press the little line to the left of the comment to do the same[10]. *See Also:* Parent / Child Comment.
10: https://gfycat.com/rawanotheradouri
Comment by llamageddon01 at 10/03/2021 at 16:58 UTC*
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
- Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon
Very simplistically, this phenomenon occurs when the thing you've just noticed, experienced or been told about suddenly crops up constantly. This is a Confirmation Bias also known as a Frequency Illusion[1]. Those of us old enough to remember the once notorious West German Baader-Meinhof gang[2] may wonder how this phrase came about[3]. The St. Paul Minnesota Pioneer Press online commenting board was the unlikely source of the name. In 1994, a reader was talking to a friend about the gang, and the next day, the friend referred him to an article in that day’s newspaper in which the organisation was mentioned, decades after it had any reason to be in the news.
1: https://lighthouse.mq.edu.au/article/july-2020/What-is-the-Baader-Meinhof-Phenomenon
2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Army_Faction
3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency_illusion
Also known as Frequency Bias or Recency Illusion, it’s a mix of coincidence and when your awareness of something increases leading you to believe something is happening more, even if that’s not actually the case. By the way; have you seen the number of Fiat 500s[4] on the roads recently? You will now. *See Also:* Cognitive Biases and Logical Fallacies, Dunning-Kruger effect, False Equivalence, Internet Adage, Strawman Argument.
- “Bait-and-Switch” or “The ole Reddit Bait-and-Switch”
A confidence trick based on a false claim or enticement to dupe the unsuspecting victim into doing something they didn’t want to do. The Internet has given this a new life, and on Reddit, the master of the technique[5] is undoubtedly u/GuyWithRealFacts who posts super informative, interesting, but totally false facts, usually starting out being totally believable. r/BaitAndSwitch. *See Also:* Bamboozled, Fake Subreddits, r/guywithrealfacts, Linking, Rickroll.
- Bamboozled
A word commonly used on Reddit when you’ve been fooled. “That’s not at all what I was expecting. After the first link I thought that would be the rickroll, but I was bamboozled.” Can refer to real life situations[6], or things that happen across Reddit[7] from time to time. *See Also:* “Bait-and-Switch”, Fake Subreddits, Rickroll.
6: https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/9q3g4m/ive_been_bamboozled/
- r/BananasForScale
A banana is a common unit of measurement on Reddit. The origin of this saying[8] isn’t from Reddit (for a change) but is mentioned here as we embraced it wholesale as our primary definition of quantity. r/BananasForScale. *See Also:* r/BarbaraWalters4Scale, “The Big List of Retired Questions”, r/HumansForScale.
8: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/banana-for-scale
- Ban; Banned
A moderator (mod) can ban you from a Subreddit for whatever reason they want. It can even escalate to a sitewide ban from Reddit given by the Admins that is temporary, or even permanent with little to no recourse. The user will get a notification if they get banned. Moderators have guidelines[9] to follow but bear in mind that they are free to enforce whatever rules they wish in their Subreddits (so long as they comport to site-wide policies) and you need to CHECK THE SUB-SPECIFIC RULES FIRST before sending them a DM. More information can be found at: https://www.reddit.com/appeals[10] or https://www.reddithelp.com/[11]. The Reddit FAQ has more information https://www.reddit.com/r/help/wiki/faq[12]. *See Also:* Admin, Content and Copyright, Mod, r/ModerationMediation, Modmail, Reporting, Shadowban, Suspended.
9: https://www.redditinc.com/policies/moderator-guidelines
10: https://www.reddit.com/appeals
11: https://www.reddithelp.com/
12: https://www.reddit.com/r/help/wiki/faq
- Bandwagon Effect
Very simplistically, this is where people do something primarily because other people are doing it, regardless of their own beliefs which they may ignore or override. This tendency of people to blindly align their beliefs and behaviors with those of a group is also called a herd mentality, or on Reddit as the Hivemind. It’s a Reddit thing that is inexplicable but once you’ve seen it a few times it’s still inexplicable but at least you know what you’re seeing if not why. *See Also:* Cognitive Biases and Logical Fallacies, Comment Chain, r/DownvotedToOblivion, Hivemind.
- r/beetlejuicing
A link posted when one user posts a comment or thread on Reddit, and another user with a username relevant to that parent comment or thread responds. Going just that little bit further, r/TwoRedditorsOneCup (SFW) documents those times that two or more Redditors unexpectedly find themselves in the same place at the same time either online or IRL. r/beetlejuicing. *See Also:* “Two Redditors One Cup”, r/UsernameChecksOut.
- r/birthofasub
A link or phrase posted when a Post or Comment on Reddit leads to the creation of a new subreddit. This is known as the "miracle of birth," and is one of the most meaningful events in a young Redditor’s life. If you witnessed this for yourself, record the moment for posterity at r/birthofasub. *See Also:* Fake Subreddits, Meta, r/wildbeef.
- “Blackjack and hookers”.
A phrase occasionally posted when someone is dissatisfied with a Mod ruling. Originating in Futurama S01E02[13] where Bender is kicked out of a theme park for trying to bend the rules. Use with caution before you flounce off to make your own sub if you think the mods are being unfair. It’s Bender’s nature to bend the rules. It’s in his name. It isn’t in yours. And even if it is, don’t bend the rules. We’ll throw you out of our theme park if you do.
13: https://youtu.be/-94qrgxH35M
- Blocking
On other social media sites, when you block someone you no longer see them and, more importantly, they can no longer see you. They cannot read your posts, respond to your questions or comments, stalk you, downvote you, etc. They're effectively blocked, just as the word implies. However, it isn’t like that on Reddit.
Reddit only allows you to block those who have interacted with you. When you block someone, you can no longer see them but they can absolutely still see you. You can no longer see their posts or comments but they can still see yours. They can read, respond and vote on anything you post but you will be unaware of it. They can even get the last word on you in all debates because you just can't see it. If they reply to one of your comments/posts, you won’t be notified, nor if they Direct Message (DM) you. The DM will show up in your messages area with a subject indicating it was from a blocked user, and a body indicating that, to see the message, you need to unblock the user. You may not DM or make a comment reply to a user that you've blocked until you unblock them.
To put it bluntly, you’re basically blocking yourself and your ability to respond, not the user who provoked you in the first place. In the end, Reddit is still the internet. Idiots will troll you. Don't feed the trolls. Ignore them, downvote them and move on. They'll soon lose interest and go away to find someone who is naïve enough to engage with them. Don’t let that be you.
If you accidentally block a user, or decide that a user no longer needs to be blocked, you can remove them from your blocked users via https://www.reddit.com/prefs/friends[15]. *See Also:* Direct Message.
15: https://www.reddit.com/prefs/friends
Comment by llamageddon01 at 10/03/2021 at 16:59 UTC*
2 upvotes, 5 direct replies
- About
The “About” tab on mobile contains essential information for the sub you are visiting. Also known as Sidebar on desktop. Always read the rules before commenting or posting on an unfamiliar Subreddit. These will be found in the Sidebar (on mobile this will be the About tab and Community Info found in the three dot “hamburger” menu top RH corner of your screen), any Pinned posts (these will have a lime green ‘pin’ icon on the top corner and will show on top when you sort the Subreddit by ‘Hot’) and Wiki (where there is one). *See Also:* Sidebar.
- Accidental Alt
It is possible to have an accidental account on Reddit. You can create a different account by mistake if you clicked "sign in with Google/Apple". Doing that creates a new account with a random username, usually consisting of two unrelated words joined with an underscore or hyphen, followed by a random number[1]. These automatically generated usernames can be changed within 30 days of account creation by going to your profile where a prompt should appear asking if you would like to keep or change the username. If the prompt does not show up, you may have accidentally chosen to keep the username and you would have to create a new account in order to have another username.
1: https://www.reddit.com/r/help/comments/n75l53/my_icon_info/
It can happen easily by accident especially if you're logged in with Chrome, or sometimes on iOS mobile by following a generic link like: https://www.reddit.com/settings/profile[2]. To get back to a normal account, stop using the "sign in with Google/Apple ID" option and instead type out your usual username and password combinations. *See Also:* Alt, Problems with Passwords: Special Note[3], Two-Factor Authorisation; 2FA.
2: https://www.reddit.com/settings/profile
3: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gtc2562/
- Activity
Part of your Inbox (the envelope icon), and also known as Notifications, this lists recent replies to any of your posts or comments. Also refers to your Reddit Account Activity, which you can check at https://www.reddit.com/account-activity[4]. *See Also:* Notification, Statistics, Useful Links, Resources and Subreddits: Special Note[5].
4: https://www.reddit.com/account-activity
5: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gtc2rbz/
- Admin
Administrator: employees paid by Reddit who control the website and apps. Rarely seen but very distinctive as these people have the word ADMIN in bright red next to their username, or on some platforms a red username with a little Red Snoo logo next to it. They can do everything a mod can do and more, including suspending accounts, all on a sitewide scale. *See Also:* Ban; Banned, Permaban, Reporting, Suspended.
- Adopting a Subreddit
You might occasionally come across a Subreddit that hasn’t been active in a long time. Dead or abandoned subreddits exist for a number of reasons, mostly due to the inactivity of its moderators. If you would like to try this for yourself, see the instructions at Creating a Subreddit: Special Note[6]. *See Also:* “Is there really a subreddit for everything?”, Mod, Restricted Subreddits, Subreddits.
6: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gtl3h4r/
- Advertising and Self-Promotion
It’s okay to use your account to promote, just don't be an account for a promotion. The Reddit guide to self-promotion[7] is essential reading if you wish to use Reddit as a platform for marketing your stuff. It doesn't say you can't share your stuff here, it just says the do’s and don’ts to make sure it doesn’t work against you. You absolutely need to read the rules of an individual subreddit before posting in this way to not get banned. For serious advertising on Reddit see https://www.redditinc.com/advertising[8] and https://ads.reddit.com[9]. *See Also:* Permaban, Rules, Shill, Spambots.
7: https://www.reddit.com/wiki/selfpromotion?
8: https://www.redditinc.com/advertising
- Advice Subreddits
Reddit has a plethora of Subreddits where you can crowdsource advice on family, relationship or other issues. They are tightly controlled[10], but even so, some outcomes can go terribly, terribly wrong[11]. Sometimes, well-meaning Redditors will fall for scammers with real-world consequences ensuing[12]. Like everything, you should approach them with a balance of healthy scepticism and sincerity. There is a starter list of these subreddits at: Relationship and Advice Subreddits: Special Note[13].
13: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gt94432/
- AFAIK
“As Far As I Know”. AFAIK this “small dictionary project” might take me years and still never be finished.
- AITA
“Am I the Asshole?”. Originally sub specific from r/AmITheAsshole now with wider Reddit usage. This subreddit aims to be a catharsis for the frustrated moral philosopher in all of us, and a place to finally find out if you were wrong in an argument that's been bothering you. Tell them about any non-violent conflict you have experienced with both sides of the story, and find out if you're right, or you're the asshole. r/AmITheAsshole.
- Alt
Alternative user account. You are allowed to have more than one Reddit account and are almost encouraged to if it’s necessary for privacy. This is a Reddit Admin���s comment on multiple accounts[14], and some people have an Alt to frequent Subreddits they might not want associated with their better known username.
Your Main and your Alt act as entirely separate accounts, even if you use the same email. You might have infinite Karma, premium, and access to private subreddits on one account but none of these will carry over to the other. For instance, I have an Alt account that I use to role play as a total newbie to test subreddits to see if they are newbie friendly. My main account (u/llamageddon01) is premium with lots of karma and trophies. My Alt isn’t, so I get the full vanilla Reddit experience with ads, post and comment removals, ~~no access to the super-secret premium subreddits~~, the works.
The AverageRedditor - including mods - can only see posts and comments you make on the specific profile they are looking at, and unless you actually specify somewhere that you have an Alt and reveal its username, they will never be able to connect the two. However, Admins See All, so be careful how you use your Alt. Reddit knows. Reddit always knows.
Reddit does not tolerate users that upvote or award their own posts using an Alt, as spammers are constantly trying to implement upvote schemes with alts to get their content to the top of the big subreddits. This is called Vote Manipulation and is one of the few things that can incur a sitewide ban on Reddit. Making an Alt for the specific purpose of circumventing a Ban on Reddit is grounds for a sitewide Permaban with no recourse. *See Also:* Accidental Alt, Karma Farming: Special Note[15], Shadowban, Throwaway Account, Vote Manipulation.
15: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gx5a5ij/
- AMA
“Ask Me Anything”. Originally sub specific from r/AMA now with wider Reddit usage. Not to be confused with r/IAmA which is occasionally frequented by guest VIPs from all walks of life such as actors, authors, celebrities or other famous or notable persons wanting feedback or interaction on their latest projects.
- r/AnimalReddits
A subreddit for the promotion, news, and discussion of animal-related subreddits. This is also the home of Reddit's Animal Kingdom - a comprehensive list of animal subreddits[16]. Please note: If you see a cat in a post regardless of it being an animal-related sub or not, an Unwritten Rule of Reddit is that you must confirm your sighting with: cat. (if it’s sitting or lying down) or Cat. (if it’s standing up), unless it is specifically stated not to in the actual rules found in the Sidebar (or About tab). r/AnimalReddits. *See Also:* Cat. or cat., One-word Replies, Unwritten Rules of Reddit.
16: https://www.reddit.com/r/AnimalReddits/wiki/faq
- Animal Videos
See: Animal Videos: Special Note[17].
17: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gy3f760/
Comment by llamageddon01 at 12/03/2021 at 13:29 UTC*
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
- Hamburger Menu
Also known as Kebab Menu. The three dots “drop-down” menu on the top RH of the screen. Sometimes three stacking vertical lines elsewhere, hence the name.
- Hiding or Blocking a Subreddit in r/all
Currently, you can’t easily hide a sub in r/all. There’s some useful information here[1] but these options only work for desktop users of Reddit, not the official mobile app. If you use Reddit on the desktop site, then you can filter a sub from r/all by going to Old Reddit[2]. Enter the unwanted sub name in the 'filter subreddit' section on the sidebar. There is no filter for r/popular.
1: https://www.reddit.com/r/help/comments/44498b/how_to_hide_or_filter_a_subreddit_from_rall/
2: https://old.reddit.com/r/all/
Users who don't find r/all and r/popular to their tastes are probably better off creating a list of their own preferred subs and browsing "Home" instead. Reddit are working on a filtering system, but this is taking time. *See Also:* “Does *subreddit* contain profanity?", Home Feed, Useful Links, Resources and Subreddits: Special Note[3].
3: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gtc2rbz/
- History
An option on your Profile Menu. You can sort your recent Reddit history by Recent, Upvoted, Downvoted or Hidden.
- Hivemind
A collective term used disparagingly, also known as the Reddit Hivemind or Great Reddit Hivemind (GRH). The opinion of the majority of people on Reddit is often aligned, and for the outlier, this often seems like a “Hivemind” in action. Things often happen on Reddit that are inexplicable and therefore attributed to the Hivemind, such as mass downvoting. Sometimes a post will get a downvote and for no other apparent reason than the ‘bandwagon effect’ others will downvote it too until it gains negative traction and is r/DownvotedToOblivion. ~~“Hivemind” is nearly always used in derogatory terms.~~ *The hivemind is always right, the hivemind is infallible. Your opinion will conform to the hivemind or you will be found wanting. You will not dissent from the hivemind.* *See Also:* Comment Chain, One-word Replies, Snowclone, Spambots: Special Note[4].
4: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/guez6zw/
- Home Feed
A list of the subreddits you have joined. Once you start to join subreddits, their posts will appear on your home page. There are various ways of sorting these (Best, Hot, Top, New, Rising) from a menu at the top of the page. Click "+Join" to add a sub to your Home feed. You should also be able to see them in http://www.reddit.com/subreddits/mine[5]. *See Also:* Communities, Sort.
5: http://www.reddit.com/subreddits/mine
Comment by llamageddon01 at 12/03/2021 at 13:34 UTC*
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
- u/
This is a prefix used when you are mentioning a specific user, for example u/llamageddon01. This gives a direct link to that user’s profile. This is also known as a “ping” or a “tag” and that user will get a notification whenever you use it in a comment. Anyone who deliberately pings the subject of a post where the username has been blocked out will be banned. We can laugh at people without directly harassing or bullying them. *See Also:* Doxxing, Ping, Username.
- r/Unexpected…
A link or phrase posted when a reference is made to something unrelated in pop-culture but has relevance to the topic. There are many Subreddits devoted to documenting such references found in posts or comments where they wouldn’t normally be expected. These can be both accidental or deliberate. Some notable examples are:
There are more. There are many, many more. Often when you least expect it.
1: https://youtu.be/sAn7baRbhx4
- Unsee Juice
Unsee Juice is an expression used after seeing something disgusting or learning something disturbing online. On some Subreddits, typing Unsee Juice will summon u/EyeBleacherBot; a bot which links to an external gif of a cute animal. Be warned: the r/unseejuice subreddit is for stuff you wish you had never seen, and the polar opposite of r/Eyebleach, which is what you are looking for when you need Unsee Juice. *See Also:* Cursed Subs.
- r/untrustworthypoptarts
A link or phrase posted when people question whether OP really did find those strange things in that stuff they bought or found. In other words, we know you staged those screenshots, OP. You're fooling no one[2]. Did you see someone call out a totally plausible story as fake? Report it at r/nothingeverhappens and accuse OP of having a boring outlook on life and should get out more. Reddit loves sarcasm. Reddit loves scepticism. Here, we have both! *See Also:* r/quityourbullshit, r/thatHappened.
- Unwritten Rules of Reddit
There are many Unwritten Rules of Reddit, many of which are addressed in this dictionary. Others include:
3: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lzrdcr/what_are_the_unwritten_laws_of_reddit/
- The “Unwritten Rule of Gilding”
Probably Reddit’s #1 unwritten rule is: “If someone is asking for gold, gild the comment above or below them, but under no circumstance gild the comment itself.”[4]. You will note that the example *was* written and indeed, was gilded. There’s a lesson in that. Maybe. *See Also:* Award Farming, Gold, Gilding or Guilding, “Gilt Guilt”, Karma Farming.
- Upvote
A term equivalent to the like button on other platforms. This increases the Karma of the Redditor being upvoted. Also known as “updoot”. Each post or comment you make has one upvote by default. Some new users feel this is like a narcissistic upvoting of yourself. It isn’t; Reddit automatically upvotes every post or comment as a “thank you” for participating. Ignore the upvote like everyone else does. You have the option to undo the upvote, but because that looks like a very quick downvote on your post/comment, many find that encourages others to downvote in a ‘Hivemind’ bandwagon effect.
Sometimes an upvote comes with an codicil:
If you like something or you think it contributes to a conversation, always click that upvote arrow. On Reddit, that's just considered good manners. Reddit loves good manners. *See Also:* Hivemind.
- User Flair
That ‘confetti’ you might see after a username is called a User Flair, and is only available in some subs. You can make your own sometimes but most will either be from a pick list or bestowed upon you by a moderator for a reason specific to that sub. Some subreddits require you to have been given a user flair by the mods before you can comment or post[5] to prove you’re a verified user.
To see if flairs are available on a sub, go to its front page, click the three dots (Hamburger Menu) on the top right hand corner if you're on mobile or the community options on the right of your screen if you're on desktop. The option “select user flair” should let you know if you can make your own or give you a choice from a pre-determined selection. On mobile, tapping your username from a comment made in that sub will also bring up a “change user flair” option underneath your Trophies icons. *See Also:* Flair, Post Flair.
- Username
Too late to tell you now, Dear Redditor, but once you have chosen a Reddit Username it can’t be changed. Ever. You can change your profile name but your username will be with you for ever. If your account is brand new, you have nothing to lose by deleting it and making a brand new one, this time being careful with your selection of username. Having said that, most social media is about the individual and Reddit, quite simply, isn’t. For the most part, nobody refers to each other by name or even remembers usernames here; many are incomprehensible in any event. You might consider using it as a Throwaway Account once you’re established here for things you might not want associated with your more familiar username.
Always check a person's username if they say something stupid, as it might just be part of their persona. Joke or parody accounts aren’t as prevalent on Reddit as, perhaps, Twitter, but they do exist. There are also automated bot accounts that are triggered by posting certain words, and again, the username will give that away. *See Also:* Accidental Alt, Alt, Bots, Identity, Ping, Throwaway Account.
- r/UsernameChecksOut
A link posted when a comment has a coincidental relation to the name of the account that posted it. When a bunch of people with the same/similar screen names show up in a thread unannounced, that’s r/usernamefamily. r/UsernameChecksOut. *See Also:* r/beetlejuicing.
Comment by [deleted] at 15/03/2021 at 14:29 UTC*
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
[removed]
Comment by llamageddon01 at 28/03/2021 at 09:14 UTC*
2 upvotes, 4 direct replies
- Parent / Child Comment
A direct response made to a Post. Also known as Top-Level Comments. There may be many Parent Comments made on any one post, and any follow-up comments in response are known as Child Comments. Parent comments are also known as ‘threads’. *See Also:* Comment Chain.
- Passwords
See Problems with Passwords: Special Note[1]. *See Also:* Spambots, Suspicious Activity, Two-Factor Authorisation.
1: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gtc2562/
- Pedant; Pedantry
Wikipedia[2] says “A pedant is a person who is excessively concerned with ...precision, or one who makes an ostentatious and arrogant show of learning.” In other words, The Average Redditor[3]. Since the onset of the Internet, it seems that every user somewhere is trying to either outdo, derail or discredit other users by employing some form of pedantry as their weapon of choice, often in grammar or usage due to their errors being relatively easy to spot.
2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedant
3: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/pedantic
Because the likelihood of making an error in a post is directly proportional to the embarrassment it will cause the poster, it is often the case that the user making the correction will actually get something within their own pedantry wrong; so much so that the phenomenon has inspired three Internet Adages[4]:
4: https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Eponymous_laws
5: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Skitts%20Law
6: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muphry%27s_law
7: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erin_McKean
There are even more variations on this theme[8]. There will be more. There will always be more. It has been said that Reddit has the most unprecedentedly dense concentration of pedantry that has ever existed in the history of humanity[9] and if those comments don’t prove it, nothing will. Ah, Reddit; never change. r/GrammarNazi, r/pedant, r/pedantic, r/Pedantry. *See Also:* Autocarrot, Cognitive Biases and Logical Fallacies, Internet Adages, Spelling and Grammar: Special Note[10], "You are technically correct, the best type of correct".
8: https://www.dailywritingtips.com/breaking-muphrys-law/
10: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gt6ptml/
- Permaban
A ban from a Subreddit or sitewide that is permanent. *See Also:* Admin, Ban; Banned, Suspended.
- PGP
“Personal Gender Pronoun”. Some Redditors indicate on their Profile Page the set of third-person pronouns that they want others to use in order to reflect their gender identity; for example, "she/her/hers", "he/him/his", or "they/them/theirs". In some specialised subreddits you might be asked your PGP to avoid accidental insult. *See Also:* Privacy Issues: Special Note[11].
11: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gtc5kmg/
- Ping
Also known as a Tag or Username Ping, this is simply mentioning another user in a comment anywhere on Reddit, using the u/ tag. For instance, typing u/llamageddon01 will send me a message and a link saying I was mentioned in that comment. If you're the subject of a conversation you could get pinged quite a lot, so to avoid this if it’s all in the comments of your post, most people will refer to you as OP instead. *See Also:* Identity, OP, /u.
- Pinned
A post that a moderator or admin has fixed to the top of a subreddit page, usually containing essential information on that subreddit. Denoted by a green pin icon in the top RH corner, if you see a pinned post, always read it before posting or commenting on a sub. You should know that you may not see pinned posts if you Sort by New or Rising. A subreddit can only have two Pinned posts at any one time. Sometimes known as “sticky” or “stickied” posts.
- “Pog”; “Poggers”
A word posted when the the words “great!”, “super!”, “fantastic!” and other terms used to convey excitement, joy or shock either aren’t enough; not cool enough to use; or maybe even too long to type. It’s a shortening of pogchamp[12]; the name of an emote on Twitch. Incidentally, “Pog” is an initialism of ‘Passionfruit, Orange, Guava’ from the eponymous 90s playground game. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_caps_(game[13]). The erroneous idea that Pog means ‘Play(er) of the Game’ came along much later.
12: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PogChamp
13: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_caps_(game
- Porn
A word with two very different and distinct meanings on Reddit. Many Subreddits with the "Porn" suffix are focused on collecting media of the best or highest quality and not in the slightest bit NSFW. r/sfwpornnetwork[14] will be your starting point here. Link for those who would prefer to avoid visiting subreddits with the word "porn" in their titles[15]. Unfortunately, neither of these lists are remotely up to date. For the second meaning there is r/NSFW411. NSFW, obviously. You do have an NSFW filter at your disposal (the Settings option in your profile) should you wish. You cannot enter a sub (or profile) marked NSFW without going through a warning screen first. *See Also:* Misleading Subreddit Titles.
14: https://www.reddit.com/r/sfwpornnetwork/wiki/network
15: https://www.reddit.com/r/NoSillySuffix/wiki/index
- Post
A Reddit Post is the broad term for any content shared on Reddit, whether it is a story, link, image, gif, poll or video that is made in a subreddit for others to comment on. Always read the rules before posting on an unfamiliar Subreddit. These will be found in the Sidebar (on mobile this will be the About tab, Menu tab and Community Info found in the three dot “hamburger” menu top RH corner of your screen), any Pinned posts (these will have a lime green ‘pin’ icon on the top corner and will show on top when you sort the Subreddit by ‘Hot’) and Wiki (where there is one). You should do this first to ensure they allow the media type you wish to upload. Reddit will automatically give you one upvote for each post and others may also up (or down) vote if they wish. This is called ‘Post Karma’. There’s a character limit of 40,000 on each post. General guidelines to remember when posting throughout Reddit are:
1. Remember the human
2. Behave like you would in real life
3. Look for the original source of content
4. Search for duplicates before posting
5. Read the community’s rules
Things you post on Reddit generally fall into these categories:
It's also common courtesy on Reddit to let other users know if you've gone back and edited your post or comment. *See Also:* Crosspost, ETA; Edit:, Multipost, OC, Post Flair, Post Karma, Repost, Sauce?, Sidebar, “When is the best time to Post for maximum attention?”
- Post Flair
Some subreddits give you the option - or even require you - to add a Post Flair when posting. There will be a drop-down menu of the choices available to you when you submit your post. This is to help people quickly scan posts and see what they are about. Also, if you click the Post Flair, you should be able to see ALL the posts that have been tagged with that same one so it helps organize the subreddit into topics. *See Also:* Flair, User Flair.
- Post Karma
There are four kinds of karma: Post, Comment, Awarder and Awardee. You earn Post Karma by making or crossposting posts. When you submit a Post, all upvotes on that post will be converted to Karma. *See Also:* Karma, Karma for New Starters[16], Post, Trophies.
- Posting an Image, Image Gallery, Gif or Video
See: Posting Images on Reddit: Special Note[17].
17: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/h0bui6y/
Comment by llamageddon01 at 30/03/2021 at 13:05 UTC*
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
- “We did it, Reddit!”
Old, very old[1], but here because it still occasionally resurfaces. *See Also:* Reddit Lore, “The Big List of Retired Questions”.
1: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/we-did-it-reddit
- “When is the best time to Post for maximum attention?”
Theres a lot of speculation and analysis out there about this. The answers range from a specific 10:00am - 3:00pm EST (2:00pm - 7:00am GMT) through to “when the majority of Americans are awake”. Reddit itself doesn't boost posts depending on the time they are made but obviously a big world event posted on r/news will need to be posted immediately it happens but that type of post will generate its own traction.
There is a school of thought that with judicious timing you can definitely help determine how well your post does[2] and that the time you post to Reddit actually matters a great deal[3]. If you are really serious about planning the timing of your posts, tools like Later for Reddit[4] and Delay for Reddit[5] may be useful. Let me know the results!
2: https://maxcandocia.com/article/2017/Jul/29/what-time-to-post-to-reddit/
3: https://foundationinc.co/lab/reddit-statistics/
4: https://dashboard.laterforreddit.com/analysis/
5: https://www.delayforreddit.com/analysis
I personally believe that timing isn't as big of a factor as, say, quality or originality. If a post is engaging or interesting to people, it will catch on. Posting quality content will always be more important than posting at any particular time. *See Also:* Post.
- Wholesome
An old-fashioned word beloved by Reddit meaning innocent, clean, moral, decent. Think squeaky-clean child-friendly, possibly even enlightening entertainment and you’re there. On Reddit over the years, Wholesome, like many other words, has changed its meaning. It was originally used ironically to mean weak or anodyne in much the same way that the use of the word “lame” does not describe a walking impediment but instead means something is uninspiring, dull, or even “cringe”; another word that has acquired additional meaning.
Reddit has two Awards called Wholesome; a low-cost one sometimes given free , "When you come across a feel-good thing" and an Appreciation Award called Wholesome (Pro). Both icons are based on the Seal of Approval or Satisfied Seal meme picture[6]. *See Also:* Awards, Award Types and Notifications: Special Note[7].
7: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gtc4d8g/
- WIBTA
“Would I be the Asshole?”. Originally sub specific from r/AmITheAsshole now with wider Reddit usage. *See Also:* AITA.
- r/wildbeef
A link or phrase posted when people forget the name of a...thing...to post to...what are they called again...Minireddits? Those stupid names you come up with when you've forgotten the real word[8]. r/wildbeef. *See Also:* r/ihadastroke, r/tipofmytongue.
8: https://www.reddit.com/r/birthofasub/comments/arbnxm/birth_of_rwildbeef/
- Wishful Multiupvote
See "I regret that I have but one upvote to give.", “Take my upvote and leave”. *See Also:* “Gilt Guilt”, Upvotes.
- Witty Comebacks
Everyone wants to feel victorious as they walk away from an argument, and nothing’s better than coming up with *that* sick burn at the precise moment. Reddit has a few tried-and-tested ways of doing this which you will find scattered around this lexicon, usually in “quotation marks”. There are also many websites or even Pinterests dedicated to helping you in your quest, of which 100 Good Comebacks[9] is one of the better ones. There are also a few subreddits that might inspire you:
9: https://parade.com/1105374/marynliles/good-comebacks/
Of course, you could also just say “no u”[10] or if you’re feeling especially loquacious, “eat pant”[11]. Not forgetting, of course,“kthxbye"[12]; the very pinnacle of the development of the English language, shortening "All is correct. Thank you, and may God be with you." into seven lowercase letters. And because every day’s a school day[13], *L'esprit de l'escalier* or l'esprit d'escalier: “mind of the staircase”[14] is a French term used in English for the predicament of thinking of the perfect reply too late. *See Also:* Cognitive Biases and Logical Fallacies, Copypasta, Puns & Pop-culture References, Snowclone.
10: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=no%20u
11: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/bootleg-bart
12: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kthxbye
13: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=every%20day%27s%20a%20school%20day
14: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/l%27esprit_de_l%27escalier
- r/woooosh
A link posted when the OP or someone in the comments has missed the joke. You reply r/woooosh when someone doesn't get a joke, and reply r/itswooooshwith4os when someone misspells r/woooosh. Because someone always misspells it and ends up at r/whooosh. *See Also:* r/AteTheOnion, r/chrissimpsonsartist, r/ObviousPlant.
- WSB
r/wallstreetbets. A subreddit that gained worldwide notoriety in February 2021. See https://www.reddit.com/r/wallstreetbets/wiki/glossary[15].
15: https://www.reddit.com/r/wallstreetbets/wiki/glossary
- X-Post
Another word for Crosspost. *See Also:* Crosspost, Multipost, Post, Repost.
- YMMV
“Your Mileage May Vary”. Your opinion or perception might be different to mine. I think this lexicon is excellent but YMMV.
- YOLO
“You Only Live Once” but has its own meaning at WSB. See https://www.reddit.com/r/wallstreetbets/wiki/glossary[16].
16: https://www.reddit.com/r/wallstreetbets/wiki/glossary
- “You are doing that too much”
Seen by many a new Redditor, this pop-up message isn’t personal; it’s just there until you build up enough Karma to prove to Reddit that you’re a genuine, real-life, honest-to-goodness Redditor. *See Also:* Bot, Karma, Shill.
- "You are technically correct, the best type of correct"
A phrase posted when the Pedants of Reddit rise up. Originating in Futurama S02E14[17], here’s a typical Reddit example[18]. For information that is technically true, but far from the expected answer, see r/TechnicallyNotWrong and r/technicallythetruth.
17: https://youtu.be/hou0lU8WMgo
18: https://www.reddit.com/r/gifs/comments/36m7dh/just_a_turtle_eating_pancakes/crfacnb/?context=3
- YSK
“You should know”. YSK that mods need love too.
- YTA
“You're The Asshole”. Originally sub specific from r/AmITheAsshole now with wider Reddit usage. *See Also:* AITA.
- YWBTA
“You Would Be The Asshole”. Originally sub specific from r/AmITheAsshole now with wider Reddit usage. *See Also:* AITA.
Comment by llamageddon01 at 01/04/2021 at 17:06 UTC*
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
- ELI5
“Explain Like I’m Five”. A request for an explanation in simpler terms. Originally sub specific from r/explainlikeimfive now with wider Reddit usage.
- Emojis
Reddit in general does not like emojis. There are many theories why this is, ranging from *“Reddit is all about written communication and always has been”* to *“Reddit has an incredibly large character limit for most applications, especially when compared to Twitter and standard text messages so we simply don’t have to”* via *“They’re childish”.* I even read recently that it might even be contempt for the laziness of using emojis by those of the generation that had to be inventive with making text-based pictures (emoticons).
I have asked and searched and asked again but the only definitive answer I ever saw was some variation of *“Because some time ago, a subreddit that once started as a joke became out of hand and now a lot of redditors have the "emojis are bad" mindset.”* A good humoured take on the subject is to allow 5 emojis[1] before calling the r/EmojiPolice, though you will probably get called out on anything more than one and I’m not entirely sure on their status or mandate in any event!
1: https://www.reddit.com/r/EmojiPolice/comments/fxyhw6/helo_newcomers_please_read_this_post/
Whatever the reason, the practical upshot of this is basically people either love emojis or hate them[2], so to be safe, limit yourself to one at the end of your post, or better still, go back in time and use text-based emoticons. You won’t be admonished for using :) or :D if you’re feeling particularly cheeky. It’s worth mentioning that although we all use the same platform, the tone of the subreddits are really different from each other. r/aww sees a lot of emoji usage compared to, say, r/askreddit, and r/askhistorians would probably collapse at seeing one.
2: https://www.reddit.com/r/unpopularopinion/comments/8k04ub/people_should_use_emojis_on_reddit/
All that said, there is *absolutely no rule on Reddit banning emojis.* You use them wherever and whenever you like. This is Reddit. You can do whatever you want. And if some people downvote an emoji-laden comment, again, this is Reddit and they can do whatever they want. So with that in mind, here’s a resource of more emojis than anyone could ever possibly need https://emojipedia.org[3] and if you really want to be banned from some subs; typing **!emojify** will translate a comment into emojis. Use at your own risk and don’t say I didn’t warn you about subreddit bans. r/emojisonreddit, r/emojipasta, r/EmojiPolice. *See Also:* Emoticons, Tone Indicators.
- Emoticons
We have already established that in general, Reddit does not like emojis, but prefers the old-school Unicode-based Emoticon. An emoticon is a typographic display of a facial representation, used to convey emotion in a text only medium. Like so: ;-) or if you’re feeling really fancy, the look of disapproval (ಠ_ಠ) or “Lenny Face," ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Useful lists of text-based emoticons to copy and paste are:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emoticons
Some of these are going to be trial and error; some will work and others won’t. So remember: 🤭= bad, but Reddit loves emoticons. Why? Don't ASCII me. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ r/emoticons. *See Also:* Emojis, LimbRetrieval-Bot, They Knew, Tone Indicators.
- ESH
“Everyone Sucks Here”. Originally sub specific from r/AmITheAsshole now with wider Reddit usage.
- ESL
“English as a Second Language”. You may sometimes see this initialism during apologies for stilted language or simple misunderstandings. According to Alexa Internet, as of February 2021 Reddit ranks as the 18th-most-visited website in the world. We are a global community and it stands to reason that many of our users are non-native English speakers.
Reddit has resources for ESL teachers in subreddits like r/ESL_Teachers or r/OnlineESLTeaching, and many resources for those learning a second language such as r/languagelearning or r/language_exchange where you can find a language partner to learn together. From 2021, Reddit’s interface became available in several languages[4] in the first phase of our product translation in German, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian. *See Also:* Tone Indicators.
4: https://www.reddit.com/r/blog/comments/o6ipy5/introducing_reddit_in_new_languages/
- ETA; Edit:
“Edited To Add”. Sometimes just “Edit:”. Used if you go back and change something in your post or comment. There is a long time limit on editing your posts or comments, however you cannot edit the title of a post at any time. It’s good form to state your reason for any editing of posts. Even if it was just edited for spelling, a simple "Edit: typo" will help explain. Don't reply to your own comment to add information as it will become out of order in the thread. If you have another thing to add to your original comment, edit it and say "Edit: And I also think..." or something along those lines. ETA: typo *See Also:* “Ninja Edit”.
- r/everyfuckingthread
A link or phrase posted when the Reddit Hivemind decides to derail a post with a Meme or a Comment Chain. The sub was created as a repository of Reddit Moments, like a “Know Your Meme - Reddit Edition”. r/everyfuckingthread. *See Also:* Hivemind, Meme, One-word Comment, Reddit Moment.
- “Everyone on reddit is a bot except you.”
A phrase[5] derived from one older than Reddit. The likelihood is that it originated from early Internet chat rooms such as IRC. When you joined an Internet Relay Channel, you could see a list of users who were already there and at least one was an admin bot. Along with novelty bots who would respond to specific phrases or questions, it was entirely possible to join a channel and chat with several users there, all bots except you.
Sometimes it seems that way on Reddit too, and someone will post this phrase. A correct reply would be HA HA, NO BOTS HERE, FELLOW FLESH PERSON. Or you could use Markdown Text to create tiny text saying ^^beep ^^boop; the response given by many Reddit bots. r/totallynotrobots. The suspicion that Redditors are mostly bots is real, and not entirely unfounded[6] as in 2020, it was discovered a GPT-3 bot had been posting in one subreddit for a whole week[7].
There are Subreddits where everyone actually is a bot, and these make for fascinating reading. r/SubSimulatorGPT2 is where AI simulates Reddit posts and comments. My recent favourite involves arguing bots[8] of different genres threatening post removal and mod appeals. r/subredditsimulator was its predecessor and here’s an interesting article about it[9]. You cannot post in either of those subs, no matter how much you want to join the conversations. Are we all in a sim game? r/outside.
9: https://www.engadget.com/2019-06-05-subreddit-simulator-gpt-2-bots.html?
- “Everyone on Reddit is a...”
A phrase posted in the sense of a Meme when one of Reddit’s generalisations is proved wrong. Or right. Usernames on Reddit are rarely noticed, and even when they are they don’t tend to give anything away about the user, so some of the most common assumptions are:
Reddit loves generalisations. Reddit loves memes. Here, we have both! But if you want actual statistics, there are some interesting ones here from 2020[10]. *See Also:* Astroturfing.
10: https://www.alphr.com/demographics-reddit/
- EXIF Data
EXIF data is removed upon uploading images to Reddit, as is common practice for other social media.
Comment by llamageddon01 at 07/04/2021 at 16:14 UTC*
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
- Void
Along with “House panther”, Void is a word used widely on Reddit to describe a black cat[1]. A “Void” is a cat so black that light cannot penetrate the surface of its fur; a blackness so extreme that it is almost impossible to tell how close you are standing to it. A Void is living, purring Vantablack[2] - one of the darkest substances known to science, absorbing up to 99.965% of visible light.
2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vantablack
A Void is a cat so black that we can only observe it through its gravitational effect on other objects[3] because it does not emit light and cannot be directly observed. There is no escape from within the event horizon of a void[4]. If you gaze for long into the void, the void gazes also into you and will want tuna when it wakes up. r/blackcats, r/VoidCats. *See Also:* r/CatsNamedToothless because black cats should always be named Toothless. Always. Even when they’re not. r/ProperAnimalNames.
3: https://www.reddit.com/r/VoidCats/comments/n3nzf8/a_perfect_portal/
4: https://www.reddit.com/r/aww/comments/n2rv0s/emerging_from_the_cat_dimension/
- Vote Arrows hidden or greyed-out on Posts
Reddit sometimes hides the vote buttons/vote count on a new or fairly new Post[5]. This doesn’t happen on all subreddits, but it's hidden on some subs so users won't be biased based on the amount of votes the post already has and will instead upvote/downvote it purely based on how they feel themselves. The goal of this is to hopefully curtail and minimize the effects of bandwagon voting, both positive and negative[6].
This option is available for moderators to implement as a subreddit-wide feature to obscure the vote counts on comments for a predetermined amount of time after their submission. The default time is set for 2 hours, but can go anywhere from 1 minute to 24 hours. Another way of doing this is for a mod to enable 'contest mode' which randomises the sorting and obscures Child Comments. Hiding the vote score will not affect the sorting and Child Comments will continue to be displayed as usual. Other reasons for vote buttons being greyed out are because:
TL;DR: It’s all part of the Reddit ethos to level the playing field on all new submissions and to keep things moving, fresh and relevant. *See Also:* Comments, Deleted or Removed.
- Vote Fuzzing
There isn’t a 1:1 relationship between votes and karma. It might appear that way especially at the early stage of your Karma count and the early stage of your post or comment, but that isn’t the case. Reddit uses a technique called Vote Fuzzing for several clever (and a few mundane) reasons. Vote Fuzzing is an automatic process built in by Reddit that slightly changes the vote counts on posts and comments each time you refresh the page. It prevents spam because people trying to use upvote/downvote bots will have no idea if the bot is working or not.
Want to see this work? Try this yourself: I just upvoted a random post, and it showed three upvotes. Then I refreshed the page and it showed four upvotes. Then I refreshed again, and it showed two upvotes. That's Vote Fuzzing in action. It's explained in the Reddiquette[7] pretty well too: *Some up/downvotes are by Reddit to fuzz the votes in order to confuse spammers and cheaters[8].* *See Also:* Karma for New Starters[9], Spambots: Special Note[10].
7: https://www.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205926439
8: https://www.reddit.com/r/WTF/comments/eaqnf/pardon_me_but_5000_downvotes_wtf_is_worldnews_for/
10: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/guez6zw/
- Vote Manipulation
This is strictly against the Reddit rules[11] and is one of the things that could earn you a Permaban. So what do we mean by Vote Manipulation? It can be as simple as:
11: https://www.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360043066412
The Reddit Admins can see IP addresses, so if they see that several users all have the same IP address and are all busy upvoting each other, they may well suspect foul play. *See Also:* Alt, Karma Farming: Special Note[12], Karmafarms, **Rules of this Subreddit**[13], Spambots, Suspended.
12: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gx5a5ij/
- Vowels
Vowels are serious business on Reddit. From discussing language theory on r/phonetics or r/linguistics to Vowel Modification on r/singing, through to language invention on r/conlangs to the absurd such as r/AVoid5; a community that can post anything as long that fifth symbol of our ABC's is totally missing. Some subs go even further. r/animalswithoutnecks does not allow the use of vowels at all. Why? Because vowels are the ‘necks’ of words and as it is a ‘without necks’ sub, they don't want you to use them. So, back to language theory then. If you prefer consonants, you might find a home at r/ggggg which is devoted to just the one. There will be others. There will always be others.
Comment by llamageddon01 at 07/04/2021 at 16:38 UTC*
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
- Neckbeard
A derogatory term used to describe those who in past years would have been called geeks, nerds or even dorks; i.e. The Average Redditor. The term comes from the percieved poor hygiene of Redditors, and the connotation is that due to obesity and slovenly habits, the person will have beard stubble on their neck, but never in sufficient amounts to be described as a full beard due to a lack of masculinity (exemplified by said obesity and habits).
Like so much of online slang post-2000, 4chan can be cited as a distribution source, if not the originator of the term. Generally, someone is called a ‘neckbeard’ when they judge other people for their faults but do not see any faults of their own. Sometimes interwebs people are mean spirited. r/justneckbeardthings, r/neckbeard, r/NeckbeardNests. *See Also:* “Everyone on Reddit is a...”.
- NGL
“Not gonna lie”. NGL, I never thought anyone would bother reading all this.
- “Nice.”
Apparently originating from an episode of *South Park*[1], ‘Nice.’ is the traditional Reddit response whenever the number 69 is posted, regardless of the reasons, and here’s an example[2]. *See Also:* Cat. or cat., Comment Chain, DownvotedToOblivion, F or "F" In The Comments, One-word Comments, “Nice”, Parent / Child Comment, Puns & Pop-culture References, “This”.
1: https://youtu.be/h7SpXGz-XOc
- “Ninja Edit:”
A Ninja Edit is commonly an edit to a post or comment made before someone points out the need for an edit. It is often a person correcting themselves when they caught their mistake or needed to add more information. The best ones happen so quick that Reddit doesn't show the "last edited" asterisk. *See Also:* ETA; Edit:.
- “No good deed goes unpunished”
A phrase used as a sardonic commentary on the frequency with which acts of kindness backfire on those who offer them. Unfortunately, Reddit often likes to be judge, jury and executioner of good deeds if they are filmed for social media. r/changemyview is a good place to debate[3] the rights and wrongs of visible Charity. Videoing acts of kindness will always elicit a slew of mixed responses[4], and the general conclusion is nearly always some variant of “It's actually a lot more messed up that there's some sort of weird taboo against posting about helping strangers or helpless people. Filming it might inspire others to do the same.” Ah, Reddit; never change. Find these lovely things at r/HumansBeingBros, r/MadeMeSmile or r/MadeMeCry, debate said lovely things at r/changemyview and suggest said lovely things should be everyday occurrences at r/unpopularopinion.
4: https://www.reddit.com/r/MadeMeSmile/comments/mzlf8c/we_need_more_people_like_them/
- “No, you’re thinking of...” or NYTO
Linking the time-honoured Reddit Traditions of going wildly off topic with Comment Chains and derailing a comment with Puns while adding a *soupçon* of “The Ole Reddit Switch-a-roo", NYTO is an opportunity rarely missed for Redditors try to outdo each other with endless puns as usual.
NYTO is where people will respond to a question with information about a word that sounds similar to the one in the original question. The next person in the chain responds with "no, you're thinking of" and then responds the same way while setting the next user up with an opportunity to respond in turn. This is an ideal example[5] of a semi-serious query which soon devolves into absolute nonsense. Ah, Reddit; never change. r/NYTO. *See Also:* Comment Chain, Increasingly Verbose, Puns and Pop-Culture References, Switcharoo.
- Notification
The envelope or the chat bubble icon will have a red or orange (sometimes called “orangered”) number next to it to notify you that you have a new message from Reddit or another Redditor. Sometimes, you might find that It says there are, for example, 6 comment replies in your post but you only see 4. This will be because 2 of those comments have been deleted or removed by the user, Mod or Automod but are still registered in the comment counter. *See Also:* Award Notifications, Deleted or Removed, DM, Orangered, Replies.
- Notorious Redditors
While Reddit is about the content and not the Redditor, some Redditors have achieved notoriety because of their content. Some who are long gone but still referenced are:
Unidan; a Redditor who became notorious[6] for sharing their vast knowledge about birds but, during a heated discussion was found to be vote manipulating using Alts and permanently suspended.
SpontaneousH; a Redditor who became notorious[7] for documenting their use of illegal drugs from the first experiment through a downward spiral to clinical death and eventual rehabilitation.
There are more. There are always more. I may well add more. r/SubredditDrama is a place where people can come and talk about Reddit fights and other dramatic happenings from other Subreddits. *See Also:* Alt, Celebrity Redditors, Identity, Reddit Lore, Useful Links, Resources and Subreddits: Special Note[8], Username, Vote Manipulation.
8: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gtc2rbz/
- NSFW
“Not Safe For Work”. You must be 18+ to view this adult-oriented content. It basically means if you’re at work or in company, you probably shouldn’t open it. You cannot enter a sub (or profile) marked NSFW without going through a warning screen first. SFW is the opposite, meaning that despite appearances the content of the link is “Safe For Work”. *See Also:* SFW.
- NSFL
“Not Safe For Life”. Denotes dangerous practices ahead. Not easy viewing. One step above NSFW, this type of post is usually very extreme, offensive or contains gore.
- NAH
“No Assholes Here”. Originally sub specific from r/AmITheAsshole now with wider Reddit usage. *See Also:* AITA.
- r/nosafetysmokingfirst
A link posted when a picture shows a sign or other media that reads correctly left to right, but visual cues (like colour or horizontal separation) lead you to try to read it top to bottom. The name is based on this picture[9] of a container ship. Be careful posting this link; r/nosafetysmokingfirst should not be confused with r/dontdeadopeninside. Or even the more lenient r/dontopendeadinside, r/AutomatiCautionDoor for words in stacks or r/peanutbutterisoneword where the instructions are mistakenly printed on the customised thing you ordered.
9: https://i.imgur.com/gjAWQbj.jpg?1
- r/nottheonion
A link or phrase posted when a true story is so mind-blowingly ridiculous that you could have sworn it was from The Onion, or other parody or satirical news publication. But it wasn’t. It was, unbelievably, real. r/nottheonion.
- NTA
“Not The Asshole”. Originally sub specific from r/AmITheAsshole now with wider Reddit usage.
Comment by llamageddon01 at 07/04/2021 at 16:45 UTC*
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
- “I also choose that guy's dead wife”
Oh dear. You got here, then. I suppose this day had to come. Originating here[1], the comment was a sad one with this phrase as an almost immediate but completely inappropriate response. The original Redditor was so sincere but the reply was just so perfectly worded yet messed up that the hilarity comes primarily from the shock value. Thankfully, the user who posted the story was fine with how it all went down[2]. Variants of this phrase pop up regularly in the strangest places.
- r/IAmA
“I Am A”, where the mundane becomes fascinating and the outrageous suddenly seems normal. A network of subreddits, each of which is dedicated to a particular Ask Me Anything topic[3], and occasionally frequented by guest VIPs from all walks of life such as actors, authors, celebrities or other famous or notable persons wanting feedback or interaction on their latest projects. r/IAmA. See their sidebar for a list of upcoming AMAs.
3: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/og6g5l/announcing_the_creation_of_topicspecific_ama/
- IANAD
“I Am Not A Doctor”. Usually used to preface medical advice and remind users that it might be better to seek counsel from an actual professional over a stranger on Reddit. Sometimes shortened to NAD in r/AskDocs.
- IANAL
“I Am Not A Lawyer”. Usually used to preface legal advice and remind users that it might be better to seek counsel from an actual professional over a stranger on Reddit. Sometimes shortened to NAL on some legal advice subreddits.
- ICYMI
“In Case You Missed It”. ICYMI, the rules of this Subreddit are here[4].
- IDC
“I Don’t Care”. What’s the difference between ignorance and apathy? I don’t know; I don’t care.
- IDEK
“I Don’t Even Know”. Why did I put this here? IDEK.
- Identity
Reddit is unique in social media because you don't have a real identity. You are not here with the primary intent of making friends, publicising yourself or documenting your lifestyle. You can say as little or as much as you want about yourself or the subject under discussion (once you’re established) and can back out of conversations (or jump back in) whenever you want without any excuse needed. Nobody but you decides what level of interaction you have with other Redditors and you are completely free to curate your own feed of content. Nobody is interested in knowing who you are, only what you have to say. Nobody will notice if you disappear one day or when (if ever) you reappear. There is no personal drama here; the community will live on without even noticing your absence and attention-seekers who like to storm off in a flourish might be disappointed in how well it manages to do just that.
For the most part, nobody even remembers usernames here; many are incomprehensible in any event. We don’t even address others by name here; the entries OP and Ping will tell you why. Not having “power Redditors” or “influential Redditors” means we’re not forced into interactions we might not want but need to have in order to be accepted into the “in-crowd”. When there isn’t an “in-crowd”, there aren’t any left on the outside trying to find their way in, which is the true beauty of Reddit.
Your very first comment here has the potential to be the most popular in Reddit history just as much as someone who has been here all of its 15+ years, and conversely, someone with 500k Karma and all the trophies in their profile has the same chance of their next comment or post being ignored or even overwhelmingly downvoted just as much as anyone else because who you are isn’t as important as “what you bring to the table”. The beauty of Reddit is that it is social media without being “social media”, and most people are here because they don’t want a great deal of social interaction.
Social media is about the individual. Reddit, quite simply, isn’t. Reddit is about the content, not the Redditor. *See Also:* Celebrity Redditors, Famous Redditors, Notorious Redditors, OP, Ping, Privacy Issues: Special Note[5].
5: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gtc5kmg/
- IDK
“I Don’t Know”. What’s the difference between apathy and ignorance? I don’t care; I don’t know.
- “If you want this t-shirt, say yes in the Comments”
Be very wary of posts in any sub that shows off items such as T-Shirts, mugs, posters, stickers, incense holders and similar novelty ephemerals even if the caption says things like “Got this for a friend”, “This arrived today!!” or “This looks even better than I thought”. There will often be a favourable comment asking about it almost immediately to encourage others to reply. Don’t be tempted by this because you run the very real risk of getting yourself permabanned from the sub along with the OP and all the other replies.
I myself am permabanned from one of the largest subreddits here; I made what I thought was a sarcastic response to a very poor t-shirt Photoshop but was actually a post by a t-shirt shill and my reply was taken as being engagement. *What I also didn’t know then was that t-shirt shills quite rightly get permabanned but anyone who engages with them gets banned too.* When I questioned it the mods said I was probably an Alt of the shill and was then referred to Admin for a “final warning” in the form of a seven day sitewide ban from all of Reddit. Including the subs I’m a moderator of. *Nobody is immune.*
If you suspect a post to be a Shill, do not engage with it; just use the Report button and move on. The only reply you can legitimately make is to post the link r/TheseFuckingAccounts or summon one of the initiatives currently fighting against these shills by including u/_dorfl_ in your comment by typing this sequence without spaces: u / \ _ dorfl \ _ I know it looks strange but trust me on this, it will be fine in the comment.
6: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gx5a5ij/
- r/ihadastroke
A link posted when the post or comment makes so sense little, you'd think the person hasd oven of tren feel stork. r/ihadastroke should not be confused with r/titlegore.
- IIRC
“If I Recall Correctly”. IIRC, I was only going to write one or two pages of this lexicon.
- Images
See Posting Images on Reddit: Special Note[7].
7: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/h0bui6y/
- IMO, IMHO, IME
Meaning "In My Opinion", "In My Humble/Honest Opinion", and “In My Experience” respectively.
Comment by llamageddon01 at 07/04/2021 at 16:48 UTC*
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
- Gilding Level Trophies
Giving Gold and Platinum awards entities you to a Gilding Level Trophy for your profile. These are currently the only two awards you can give that earn you points towards these totals. You get 1 point for each Gold you give and 4 for each Platinum you give. Some images of these trophies[1]. The Gilding Tiers are:
Some time ago, some users calculated these to be the amounts needed[2] but Reddit is yet to confirm them.
2: https://i.imgur.com/jyLUlQo.png
*See Also:* Award Types and Notifications: Special Note
- “Gilt Guilt”
Awards are a way of saying, “An upvote doesn’t quite describe how much i enjoyed your post.” However, some people have an uneasy feeling on receiving a Reddit award, especially Gold or other premium ones. This is understandable but you shouldn’t feel (and definitely not express) guilt. Many awards are given with Reddit Coins that the user received for free through getting awards and didn’t spend any money to get them. Reddit coins have no real world currency value so once a user has them in their account the only thing they can do with them is give awards to other people.
Expressing “Gilt Guilt” will elicit one of two responses: Copypasta or accusations of Award Farming[3]. So many Redditors in the past have expressed sentiments like “they’re a waste of money” or “you should have spent it on charities instead”, it’s actually become a Reddit trope, with its own Copypasta:
3: https://i.redd.it/dbsj2bu2z7c51.jpg
Edit: thanks for the gold kind stranger! BUT YOU SHOULD’VE SPENT IT ON CHARITY YOU F@& PIECE OF SHIT Edit 2: TWO GOLDS? You mfng piece of shit KIND STRANGERS! You f@& took away 500 Reddit coins that could’ve gone to starving children in F@& AFRICA! Be ashamed. Be very ashamed.
Edit 2: I don’t care about downvotes I just made a whole angry edit about them is all
4: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gtc4d8g/
- Godwin’s Law
Godwin's Law (also known as Godwin's Rule of Nazi Analogies) is a saying, commonly known as an “Internet Adage”, made by author Mike Godwin[5] in 1990. The law states: "As a discussion on the Internet grows longer, the likelihood of a comparison of a person's being compared to Hitler, or another Nazi reference, increases." You may see this happening on Reddit, but strangely few people seem to know it has a name. *See Also:* False Equivalence, “Grammar Nazi”, Internet Adages, Pedant; Pedantry.
5: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Godwin
- Gold; Gilding or Guilding
Giving a user an award is referred to as "gilding" (or sometimes “guilding”) and posts that receive awards are called "gilded." Reddit Gold is an award giving you Premium Reddit and 100 coins to spend. The original Reddit meaning for Gold has changed over the years[6]. *See Also:* Award Types and Notifications: Special Note[7], “Gilt Guilt”.
7: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gtc4d8g/
- Grammar
See Spelling and Grammar, Spelling and Grammar: Special Note[8].
8: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gt6ptml/
- “Grammar Nazi”
“Grammar Nazi”[9] or “Grammar Police” refers to someone who believes they are almost contractually bound to correct any grammar and / or spelling mistakes made by others. We have a lot of them on Reddit. Or should I have said “we have a large number of them”? *See Also:* Godwin’s Law, Pedant; Pedantry, Spelling and Grammar, Spelling and Grammar: Special Note[10].
10: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gt6ptml/
- GTAGE
A link or phrase posted when an image shows an item that has Great Taste And Great Execution. Should not be confused with GTBAE, ATAAE or ATBGE. r/GTAGE.
- GTBAE
A link or phrase posted when an image shows an item that has Great Taste But Awful Execution. Should not be confused with GTAGE, ATAAE or ATBGE. r/GTBAE.
Comment by llamageddon01 at 14/04/2021 at 15:03 UTC*
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
- LARP; LARPer
“Live Action Role-Playing”. A game where the participants physically portray historical, fantasy or other characters. Unfortunately, Reddit attracts LARPers in the form of Internet trolls - people pretending to be something they're really not, especially on Subreddits dedicated to Relationships, Advice, Conspiracy Theories, Health, Politics, and Religion. LARPing on Reddit can also be talking big online about some kind of physical, real-world action you're going to take without actually having any intention of leaving your computer, or even throwing out controversial opinions as being your own simply to gain a reaction. Finding a costume for this might not be easy though[1].
1: https://www.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/8dj8mw/larping_trolling/
Because Reddit has zero barrier to entry, and is based on anonymity, we even attract deliberate LARPers[2]. You should note that the r/IAmA Subreddit requires stringent evidence[3] of identity. Some other subreddits do this out of necessity too[4]. *See Also:* Famous Redditors, Relationship and Advice Subreddits: Special Note[5].
2: https://medium.com/@alexanderlago11/how-to-troll-on-reddit-a7d3e0eb260b
5: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gt94432/
- LDR
“Long-Distance Relationship”. The relationship subreddits have a lexicon of their own that you should familiarise yourself with before using them. This is added here as it’s increasingly crossing over into other subs. *See Also:* Relationship and Advice Subreddits: Special Note[6].
6: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gt94432/
- r/LeopardsAteMyFace
A link or phrase posted when someone is surprised at being negatively affected by the consequences of their own political beliefs and actions. The phrase *'I never thought leopards would eat MY face,' sobs woman who voted for the Leopards Eating People's Faces Party* satirises those who happily vote for negative consequences for others only to be dismayed when those consequences also affect them. r/LeopardsAteMyFace.
- LimbRetrieval-Bot
If you post the “shrug” emoticon ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ you may be visited by this bot, telling you “You dropped this \ “ . Here’s why, and how to stop it from happening again[7]. *See Also:* Emoticons, Markdown Text.
- Linking
You may be asked to link another source, comment or subreddit at some time.
You can simply copy and paste a web URL into your comment. However, it often can be huge and full of additional symbols and letters[8] often looking like this at the end: /?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share. To tidy it up a bit, you can safely delete all this clutter up to and including the question mark and the link will still work.
8: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1033863?hl=en
Reddit provides an easy way to simplify a link both for mobile and desktop. The “Reply” box has an icon with two interlocked rings. Using this link will give you the opportunity to embed your hyperlink so it looks like a text link like this[9]. Another way of doing this is to sandwich the text you want to show up between square brackets [ ] immediately followed by the hyperlink sandwiched between parentheses ( )
9: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/guht7e5/
When you’re reading a Post, on the top of the screen is a three dots pull down Hamburger Menu, where one of the options is “Share” allowing you to copy the link to paste into a reply, or an icon at the bottom of the post with an upwards arrow in an open box, marked “Share” with the same option. At the bottom of each Comment next to the Edit button is either the same three dots menu, again with the same option.
Simply type r/ in front of the name of the Subreddit you want to link to. It’s important to spell the sub name correctly but it isn’t case-sensitive, so r/newtoreddit will work just as well as r/NewToReddit.
Simply type u/ in front of the username of the Redditor you want to link to, for example u/llamageddon01. This is also known as a “ping” or a “tag” and that user will get a notification whenever you use it in a comment.
Do not use the ‘link’ button or Markdown Text to trick or confuse users, such as attempts on clickjacking[10], spoofing[11] or hiding a Subreddit's name to replace it for another in an attempt to deceive readers. The first two will get you permabanned and the third will certainly garner negative reports. The only time such a “bait and switch” is considered acceptable (and the jury’s still out on this one) is for an ‘appropriate’ Rickroll[12].
10: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clickjacking
11: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoofing_attack
12: https://youtu.be/xvFZjo5PgG0
- LPT
“Life Pro Tip”. Mandatory for posting in r/LifeProTips but also used throughout Reddit.
- Logical Fallacies
See Cognitive Biases and Logical Fallacies.
- Lost for Words
It happens to the best of us. Small-talk, despite sounding anodyne, does not come easy to many of us. Clumsy or tactless conversation is a staple of most coming-of-age films for a reason and the number of books devoted to improving the social skills of people of all ages could sink a battleship. You need Reddit Karma, so you need to comment, but what? A good tool to employ is the principle of the Five Ws and How *aka* 5W1H[13] of information gathering:
13: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Ws
Let me add another tool to your box - the principle of the Five Styles of Reddit commenting:
These are pretty much given in the order you should employ them. The last two might not win you any favours in some subs so use them carefully. *See Also:* Circlejerk, Comment Chain, Copypasta, Hivemind, Increasingly Verbose, "I regret that I have but one upvote to give.", “Maybe the real treasure was the friends we made along the way", Puns and Pop-Culture References, Switcharoo, Wishful Multiupvote.
14: https://www.happier.com/blog/nice-things-to-say-100-compliments/
16: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/hfi2e/most_cliche_reddit_comments/
17: https://www.reddit.com/r/CasualUK/comments/7dc49k/what_reddit_cliches_wind_you_up_the_most/
18: https://www.reddit.com/r/copypasta/comments/mr8g9h/reddit/
- “Lost in New”
A post will often be referred to as being “lost in new”. It simply means a post that gets swept along in all the myriad of new posts to Reddit, never making it to the front page. Some of us will forever be lost in new regardless of the quality of our posts but that’s fine, because Reddit is strange like that. *See Also:* “Reddit is strange like that.”, Sort, “When is the best time to Post for maximum attention?”.
- r/Lostredditors
A link posted when the OP appears to have posted in the wrong subreddit. r/Lostredditors. *See Also:* r/SubsTakenLiterally.
Comment by llamageddon01 at 06/05/2021 at 12:06 UTC*
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
- Jargon
Every group or subculture has its own specialized terminology, and Reddit is no exception. We have sitewide acronyms, initialisms, terms, memes, references and responses, some of which will be familiar to internet users and many exclusive to Reddit. I’ve tried to list as many as possible throughout this encyclopaedia for your ease of reference.
Some subreddit types have their own dedicated lexicon, particularly those dealing with medical, legal or relationship advice. Or cute animals. Especially cute animals. I have included one or two examples throughout this encyclopaedia which occasionally appear in general Reddit, but more definitions will be found in those particular subs. For instance, a short list of acronyms and initialisms pertaining to Relationship subreddits can be found here: Relationship and Advice Subreddits: Special Note[1].
1: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gt94432/
There is one Subreddit, however, which has its own jargon that I haven’t even begun to attempt. r/wallstreetbets (or WSB) uses a combination of financial terminology and its own slang to form a unique language that demands its own lexicon[2]. Some of their more common terms that appear in general Reddit are listed here, but you should go to https://www.reddit.com/r/wallstreetbets/wiki/glossary[3] for their full definitions. *See Also:* Other Useful Lexicons.
3: https://www.reddit.com/r/wallstreetbets/wiki/glossary
- Join
If you find a subreddit about anything you're interested in, make sure to click Join so that new posts in that community will show up in your Home feed. On desktop, you can join a subreddit by clicking +Join in the upper right of a post in your feed. You can also join a sub by clicking or tapping the "Join" button at the top of the page while visiting it. There is no limit to the number of subreddits you can be Joined in, and you are not making any commitment to that community by being Joined. You need never comment or post in that sub or you can Leave and rejoin as many times as you like and nobody will ever know.
- Karma
This is what Reddit has to say about karma[4]. Very simplistically, this is an approximation of the upvotes you get on your Posts and Comments minus the downvotes. A visualisation of this[5] is complex but beautiful, but Reddit will never reveal the specific algorithm behind Karma. How many awards you get, give and their type affect this overall score as well. You can also get negative karma.
4: https://reddit.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/204511829-What-is-karma-
There isn’t a 1:1 relationship between votes and karma and both negative and positive karma are capped at an unspecified point on individual posts and comments. Because both are cumulative, the maximum amount of negative karma you can have has been set at -100, but positive karma can be infinitely high. Marvel at some of the statistics at the Karma Leaderboard[6].
There are four kinds of Karma: Post, Comment, Awarder and Awardee and some initial information is given here[7]. You can find your personal amount of earned Karma by clicking on your Profile in the top right hand corner or by clicking the blue link of your username on one of your own posts. You can also check your Karma breakdown here: http://old.reddit.com/u/me/overview[8].
8: http://old.reddit.com/u/me/overview
Award Karma / Awardee Karma are recent additions to Reddit[9] where you get karma for giving Awards (Awarder Karma) and for being given Awards (Awardee Karma). Receiving an award is a signal of recognition from another Redditor, so it was decided it should earn a nominal amount of Karma, and that the recipient should get more Karma when the award costs more. These two factors make up the Awardee Karma calculation.
9: https://www.reddit.com/r/changelog/comments/iz7nnb/award_karma/
Awarder Karma can even earn you a Trophy on your profile showing how generous with giving out Gold & Platinum (Gilding Level Trophy) Argentium (Argentium Club) and Ternion (Ternion Club) you are. Giving smaller awards counts towards Award karma. Award/Awardee Karma like normal Karma is not given at a 1:1 ratio. The figures are shown on your Profile.
There is another detailed explanation of Karma here, with other useful links too[10]. *See Also:* Gilding Level Trophies, Karma for New Starters[11], Karma Farming: Special Note[12], Trophies.
10: https://www.reddit.com/r/karma/comments/kkis5i/read_this_before_posting_weve_noticed_that_the/
12: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gx5a5ij/
- Karma Farming; Karma Farms
Also known as “Karma Whoring”. Posts asking for or even talking about Karma or awards (e.g. “Upvote all my comments and I’ll upvote yours” or “What’s an award?”) will be at best downvoted or may even earn you a ban. There are very few exceptions; your Cakeday being the only legitimate time you can ask for Karma in certain places, or in subs with the specific purpose of talking about (but not asking for) Karma such as r/Karma or, of course, r/NewToReddit. *See Also:* Cakeday, Karma Farming: Special Note[13], Rules of this Subreddit[14].
13: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/lw4gp4/a_guide_to_reddit_lingo/gx5a5ij/
