Confused about a word? Don’t be. Here, we give brief explanations about important terminology in the world of crypto and NFTs.
Have you come across unfamiliar words while looking at crypto info that need clarification? Not a problem. It’s a new and exciting space and as a resut there are tons of slang terms, acronyms, and sayings that you’re bound to be unacquainted with… even if you’ve been trading a little while! Here at Crypto Lists, we explain some of the most important words and phrases in plain English.
Airdrop
More info soon.
Altcoin
An altcoin is any crypto coin or token that is not Bitcoin. If you are curious to learn more, see the toplist with 100 altcoins.
AML
AML stands for Anti Money Laundering… If you’d like to know more about that, may we offer The Sopranos boxset for entertainment and educational purposes.
ATH
ATH stands for All Time High. Usually used in the context of “In 2021, Bitcoin reached its current ATH.”
ATL
ATL stands for All Time Low.
Bear market
Downing trend. Negative mood in the crypto market.
Bull market
Upgoing. Positive crypto market mood where there’s a strong possibility of large coin price rises.
Crypto Coin
A native cryptocurrency that got it’s own blockchain. Some examples include, but are not limited to; Ether on Ethereum blockchain, BNB on BNB Blockchain, Solana (SOL) on Solana Network or Litecoin (LTC) on Litecoin blockchain or MATIC on the Polygon Network.
Dollar Cost Averaging (DCA)
A way to minimize risk while also lowering potential reward. Basically, you invest a fixed and affordable amount each week/month to spread risk while accumulating an asset. This means you don’t need to time the market exactly in search of the bottom, but it also means you’re less likely to achieve enormous growth from an initial one-time investment. You can learn more about it in our article.
Farming
In the crypto world, farming or yield farming as some call it has got nothing to do with cows or growing vegetables! In fact, crypto yield farming is a way of borrowing or lending crypto on a decentralized platform and earning crypto while waiting.
HODL
HODL or Hodl stands for “Hold On for Dear Life”, meaning that many experienced, long term crypto investors reject selling their assets. An amusing term that was accidentally birthed on an early Bitcoin forum in 2013.
ICO
ICO stands for an Initial Coin Offering. That means, it is the first time that the coin or token is released for public sale. However, before the public sale, cryptocurrency might have been given out as reward to founders and/or the team behind.
IDO
IDO is the short form of Initial Decentralised Offering. This is a way for people to interact with a new coin or token before it goes live.
IEO
IEO stands for Initial Exchange Offering. IEO’s usually take place a few times a week or month, depending on which crypto exchange. During the Initial Exchange Offering, the coin is sold to the users of a specific exchange for the first time. Before that, mostly early adopters and those that followed the project from scratch are able to invest.
KYC
KYC is a word that stand for Know Your Customer. This is a process where crypto sites are required to collect information about their customers, in order to fulfil legal obligations by the U.S, EU or some other country or region.
NFT
NFT stands for “Non Fungible Token”. You’ve probably come across this while browsing social media and seeing famous people splashing their cash on funky ape drawings. Visit or NFT review page to learn about various NFT collections. Alternatively, check out the top NFT coins and tokens here.
Rug pull
A rug pull in the is when the team behind a project suddenly abandons ship and sells or removes all its liquidity. The term comes from the phrase ‘to pull the rug from under someone’, which means to withdraw support or assistance, often to that person’s surprise.
Staking
Crypto staking is a way of locking your assets and earning interest. More is explained in our staking guide.
Wen Lambo?
This phrase is commonly used on Telegram and in forums related to new tokens. Wen Lambo is a slang phrase that means “When Lamborghini”? Beginners are often keen to get rich quick and hope to be able to afford a lambo. However, it can also be used in bear markets among impatient investors that haven’t sold off any coins or tokens, and are waiting for a bull market again.
