Reddit Glossary: 40 Terms You’ll See Everywhere

Beginner Glossary

Reddit Glossary: 40 Terms You’ll See Everywhere

A quick glossary so you understand posts and comments without guessing.

TL;DR: Learn the basics (subreddit, flair, mod, karma) and you’ll avoid most beginner mistakes.

Core Terms

Subreddit — A community focused on one topic (e.g., r/…)
Post — A submission (text/link/image/video) in a subreddit
Comment — A reply under a post
Upvote / Downvote — Community feedback that affects visibility
Karma — A feedback signal linked to upvotes/downvotes
Flair — A label/category required by many subreddits
Mods — Volunteer moderators who enforce subreddit rules
AutoModerator — Automated moderation rules/bot used by mods

Common Situations

Pinned post — A highlighted post, often rules/FAQ
Removed — A post/comment taken down by mods or filters
Filtered — Held back by automated systems (may look “live” to you)
Repost — Posting the same content again (often disliked)
Crosspost — Sharing a post from one subreddit into another
Shadowban — Your content may be invisible to others in many places

If your post disappears, use: Post Removed or Invisible? Fixes.

Next steps

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