Crypto Slang: The Most Popular Expressions in Crypto
If you’ve spent any time in the crypto space, you’ve likely come across a bunch of unfamiliar terms, memes, and abbreviations. This unique jargon has become a kind of insider language for crypto traders, blending internet culture with finance in a way that’s hard to ignore.
Whether you’re a seasoned trader or just getting your feet wet, understanding crypto slang is crucial to navigating conversations and trends effectively. Let’s go over a quick breakdown of the most popular expressions in the crypto world.
Altcoin
Altcoin refers to any cryptocurrency that isn’t Bitcoin. After Bitcoin’s success, many alternatives were created — hence the name altcoin. These include Ethereum, Litecoin, and thousands of other digital assets. Each aims to improve upon Bitcoin in some way, whether through faster transactions, different consensus mechanisms, or unique applications.
Alt-season
Crypto traders eagerly await alt-season, a period when altcoins outperform Bitcoin regarding price gains. Historically, Bitcoin leads the market, but during alt-seasons, altcoins see massive price spikes, giving traders the chance to make substantial profits. It’s a time of excitement and fast-paced trading, but it can also be highly volatile.
ATH (All-Time High)
ATH, or All-Time High, is the highest price a cryptocurrency has ever reached. When a coin hits a new ATH, it often garners massive attention from traders and media. However, be cautious: after an ATH, prices can swing dramatically.
ATL (All-Time Low)
ATL, or All-Time Low, is the lowest price a cryptocurrency has ever reached. This is the opposite of ATH (All-Time High). When a coin hits an ATL, it can be a sign of poor market sentiment, declining confidence, or even an opportunity for bargain hunters looking to buy at rock-bottom prices.
Airdrop
An airdrop is when a blockchain project distributes free tokens to its community, usually as part of a marketing campaign or reward for early adoption. Airdrops are often used to create buzz around a new project or protocol.
Bagholder
A bagholder is someone holding onto a cryptocurrency that has significantly dropped in value, hoping it will eventually recover. This term often implies a sense of misplaced hope, as the person is left “holding the bag” while others have moved on or sold at a loss.
Bitcoin Maximalist
A Bitcoin Maximalist believes that Bitcoin is the only cryptocurrency that actually matters. For these individuals, all other cryptocurrencies (altcoins) are considered unnecessary or even harmful distractions from Bitcoin’s mission as a decentralized global currency.
BTD (Buy the Dip)
BTD, or Buy the Dip, is a strategy where traders buy a cryptocurrency after its price has dropped, expecting it to rise again. It’s based on the idea that market corrections present buying opportunities for future gains.
Boomercoin
Boomercoin is a term used mockingly by younger traders or altcoin enthusiasts to describe Bitcoin. It implies that it’s old or outdated compared to newer, more innovative projects. The term references the stereotype of older generations being out of touch with modern trends.
Crypto Wallet
A crypto wallet is a digital tool that allows users to store, manage, and interact with their cryptocurrency. Wallets can be either hot (connected to the internet) or cold (offline for better security). They hold the private keys required to access and manage the funds in a blockchain.
Degen
Short for “degenerate,” a degen is a trader who engages in extremely high-risk bets or investments, often on memecoins or low-cap tokens with questionable fundamentals. Degens are known for their appetite for risk and their hope for outsized returns.
Diamond Hands
Someone with Diamond Hands holds onto their cryptocurrency through extreme volatility without selling, believing in its long-term value. This term is often used as a badge of honor in online communities, signifying strong conviction.
Exchange
A crypto exchange is a platform where you can buy, sell, or trade cryptocurrencies. There are centralized exchanges like Binance and Coinbase, and decentralized ones like Uniswap. Each comes with its own set of pros and cons in terms of security, fees, and liquidity.
Paper Hands
Paper Hands is the opposite of Diamond Hands. It refers to traders who sell their assets at the first sign of trouble, often at a loss. In crypto communities, having Paper Hands is seen as lacking conviction or being easily shaken by market volatility.
DYOR (Do Your Own Research)
DYOR is a phrase used to remind traders to conduct their own research before investing in any cryptocurrency. With so many scams and speculative assets in the crypto world, you shouldn’t rely solely on others’ opinions.
FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)
FOMO is the anxiety that arises when traders see a cryptocurrency rising quickly and fear missing out on potential gains. This emotional response often leads to impulsive buying at inflated prices, which can result in losses if the market turns.
FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt)
FUD refers to the spread of negative news or rumors intended to incite fear and cause people to sell their assets. It can be a tactic used by competitors, or simply the result of poor market sentiment. Either way, FUD can lead to panic selling.
Fiat currency
Fiat refers to government-issued currency that is not backed by a physical commodity like gold or silver but instead has value because the government maintains it and people trust its value. Some examples include the US dollar (USD) and the euro (EUR). In the crypto world, fiat is often used to distinguish traditional money from digital assets like Bitcoin or Ethereum.
Fren
In crypto communities, Fren is a playful term for “friend.” It embodies the casual, meme-heavy language of online crypto forums and chats, reinforcing the sense of community among traders and enthusiasts.
Floor Is Lava
Floor Is Lava is a humorous phrase traders use when prices drop rapidly and continuously. The term comes from the childhood game where the floor is imagined to be molten lava, and the goal is to avoid touching it — just like traders trying to avoid a free-falling market.
GM (Good Morning)
A simple GM, short for “Good Morning,” is a way for crypto enthusiasts to greet each other online, often in Twitter threads or Discord channels. It reflects the tight-knit community spirit of crypto culture, where traders worldwide come together.
HODL (Hold On for Dear Life)
HODL originally came from a typo on a Bitcoin forum in 2013, where someone meant to write “hold” but accidentally wrote “HODL.” It has since become a rallying cry for long-term believers in crypto, encouraging traders to hold onto their coins through price dips.
IYKYK (If You Know, You Know)
IYKYK is often used to refer to something understood by those deep in the crypto world. It might be an insider joke, a reference to a specific project, or a subtle hint at a profitable trading strategy. The phrase implies exclusivity and knowledge.
Laser Eyes
Laser Eyes refers to the Twitter avatars of Bitcoin enthusiasts who add laser eyes to their profile pictures to symbolize their belief that Bitcoin will reach astronomical prices — typically $100,000 or more. It’s part meme, part rallying cry.
Moon/Mooning/To the Moon
Mooning or going “to the moon” describes a cryptocurrency experiencing a significant price increase. If a coin is “mooning,” it’s soaring in value, often rapidly. Traders dream of finding coins that will “go to the moon” and make them rich.
NFT (Non-Fungible Token)
An NFT is a digital asset that represents ownership of a unique item or piece of content, like art, music, or even virtual real estate. Unlike cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, NFTs are not interchangeable, which makes them “non-fungible.”
NGMI/WAGMI
NGMI stands for Not Gonna Make It and is often used to describe people who are expected to fail in crypto due to poor decision-making or bad luck. WAGMI, on the other hand, stands for We’re All Gonna Make It and expresses optimism that the crypto community will succeed together.
No-coiner
A no-coiner is someone who doesn’t own any cryptocurrency and is typically skeptical of the entire space. These individuals may dismiss the technology or believe it’s just a bubble waiting to burst.
Normie
A normie is someone outside of the crypto world, often unaware or uninterested in the latest trends, technologies, or slang. The term is used to describe people who are considered mainstream or not clued into crypto culture.
Not Your Keys, Not Your Coins / Not Your Keys, Not Your Crypto
The phrase “Not your keys, not your coins” (or “Not your keys, not your crypto”) is a reminder that if you don’t hold the private keys to your cryptocurrency, you don’t truly own it. This often refers to the risks of leaving crypto on centralized exchanges, which control the keys. If an exchange gets hacked, goes bankrupt, or locks you out, you could lose access to your funds. By holding your own keys in a personal wallet, you ensure full control over your crypto.
Pump and Dump
A pump and dump is a scheme where a group of traders artificially inflates the price of a cryptocurrency by buying large amounts (the pump) and then selling off their holdings at the peak (the dump), leaving other traders holding the bag.
Rekt
Rekt is slang for “wrecked” and refers to traders who have suffered significant losses in a short period of time. Whether due to bad investments, falling prices, or scams, getting rekt is something all traders try to avoid.
Rug Pull
A rug pull happens when the developers of a cryptocurrency or decentralized finance (DeFi) project suddenly withdraw all the funds from the liquidity pool, leaving investors with worthless tokens. This is one of the most common types of scams in the crypto world.
Sats (Satoshis)
Sats is short for Satoshis, the smallest unit of Bitcoin. One Bitcoin can be divided into 100 million sats. This term is often used when discussing very small transactions or when people are accumulating fractions of a Bitcoin.
Shilling
Shilling refers to the aggressive promotion of a cryptocurrency or project, often for personal gain. Someone who’s shilling might be trying to pump up the price before selling, or they might simply be a believer in the project. Either way, the term implies some level of self-interest.
Stablecoin
A stablecoin is a type of cryptocurrency designed to maintain a stable value, and it’s often pegged to a fiat currency like the US dollar. Stablecoins like Tether (USDT) and USD Coin (USDC) are used by traders to move in and out of volatile markets without converting to traditional currencies.
Vaporware
Vaporware refers to a cryptocurrency project or product that has been announced but never actually materializes. It often describes projects that promise revolutionary technology or features but fail to deliver, leading to skepticism or accusations of being scams. Vaporware can be harmful to investors who buy in based on hype, only to find that the project never launches.
Weak Hands
Weak hands are traders who panic-sell their assets at the first sign of trouble, usually out of fear of further losses. The term is often used derisively by those who believe in holding through volatility, suggesting that weak hands lack the conviction to wait for the market to recover.
Whale
A whale is a trader or entity that holds a large amount of cryptocurrency. Because of their massive holdings, whales can influence market prices with their trades. When a whale buys or sells a significant amount of a coin, it can create large price swings, which often leads to smaller traders reacting accordingly.
When Lambo?
“When lambo?” is a meme used in the crypto community to ask when a particular cryptocurrency will skyrocket in value to the point where early investors can afford to buy a Lamborghini. It’s a lighthearted way of asking when massive gains are expected, often in reference to speculative investments.
Conclusion
The crypto world isn’t just about charts, coins, and blockchain — it has developed its own unique culture, complete with a language all its own. Knowing these terms is more than just about fitting in; it’s about understanding the flow of market sentiment and how traders communicate.
Whether you’re a degen chasing the next moonshot or someone with diamond hands holding through volatility, mastering this slang helps you navigate the crypto world with confidence. So, next time someone drops a “When Lambo?” in conversation, you’ll be in the know — and maybe even well on your way to scoring one.
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Disclaimer: Not financial advice. Cryptocurrency and blockchain investments are high risk, can incur substantial losses, and are not suitable for everyone. Please consult a professional before considering investment in any cryptocurrency. This article does not encourage or support any specific investments, use of applications or technology, or financial direction. This article is for informational purposes only and should be verified and validated externally for 100% accuracy.