Address Basics
A string of characters you share to receive crypto — like an account number derived from your public key. Safe to share publicly.
Airdrop Earning
A distribution of free tokens to wallets, often to reward early users or promote a new project. Treat unexpected airdrops with caution.
Altcoin Basics
Any cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin. Short for "alternative coin." Thousands exist, with wildly different goals and risk.
ATH (All-Time High) Trading
The highest price an asset has ever reached. "Near ATH" means it's close to its record peak.
Bear Market Trading
A prolonged period of falling prices and pessimism. The opposite of a bull market.
Bitcoin (BTC) Coins
The first and largest cryptocurrency, launched in 2009. Often called "digital gold" for its fixed supply and store-of-value role.
Block Technology
A batch of transactions bundled together and added to the blockchain. Each block links to the one before it.
Blockchain Technology
A shared, append-only ledger maintained by many computers, where records can't be quietly altered. The backbone of crypto.
Bull Market Trading
A sustained period of rising prices and optimism. Investors expect values to keep climbing.
Cold Wallet Security
A wallet that stores your keys offline (e.g. a hardware device), making it far harder for hackers to reach. Best for long-term holdings.
Consensus Technology
The method a network uses to agree on which transactions are valid without a central authority — e.g. proof of work or proof of stake.
DApp DeFi
A "decentralized application" that runs on a blockchain via smart contracts instead of a single company's servers.
DCA (Dollar-Cost Averaging) Strategy
Investing a fixed amount on a regular schedule regardless of price, to smooth out volatility over time.
DeFi DeFi
"Decentralized finance" — lending, trading and earning services built on blockchains, without traditional banks as middlemen.
DEX DeFi
A "decentralized exchange" where users swap tokens directly from their wallets via smart contracts, with no central custodian.
Ethereum (ETH) Coins
A programmable blockchain that runs smart contracts and powers most DeFi, NFTs and tokens. ETH is its native coin.
Fiat Basics
Government-issued currency like the dollar, euro or shekel — the "regular" money crypto is often compared against.
Fork Technology
A change to a blockchain's rules. A "hard fork" can split a network into two separate chains.
FOMO Culture
"Fear of missing out" — the urge to buy because a price is rising fast. A common driver of poorly-timed decisions.
Gas Technology
The fee paid to process a transaction or run a smart contract on a network. Higher demand usually means higher gas.
Halving Technology
A scheduled event that cuts the rate of new Bitcoin issuance in half, tightening supply over time.
Hash Technology
A fixed-length fingerprint of data produced by a one-way function. Hashes link blocks and make tampering detectable.
HODL Culture
Crypto slang for holding through ups and downs rather than selling. Born from a misspelled "hold."
Hot Wallet Security
A wallet connected to the internet (app or browser). Convenient for everyday use but more exposed than cold storage.
KYC Compliance
"Know Your Customer" — the identity checks regulated exchanges run before letting you trade, to prevent fraud and money laundering.
Liquidity Trading
How easily an asset can be bought or sold without moving its price. High liquidity means tighter, fairer prices.
Market Cap Trading
The total value of a coin's circulating supply (price × coins in circulation). A rough gauge of relative size.
Mining Technology
Using computing power to validate transactions and add blocks under proof of work, earning newly issued coins as a reward.
NFT NFTs
A "non-fungible token" — a unique, one-of-a-kind token on a blockchain used for digital art, collectibles, items and ownership records.
Node Technology
A computer that stores a copy of the blockchain and helps verify transactions. Many independent nodes keep the network honest.
Private Key Security
The secret number that controls your crypto. Anyone who has it owns your funds — never share it.
Proof of Stake Technology
A consensus method where validators lock up ("stake") coins to secure the network, using far less energy than mining.
Proof of Work Technology
A consensus method where miners compete to solve hard puzzles, making attacks expensive. Used by Bitcoin.
Public Key Security
A key derived from your private key, used to generate your shareable address and verify your transactions.
Rug Pull Security
A scam where a project's creators abandon it and run off with investors' money. A major risk with unknown tokens.
Seed Phrase Security
A list of 12–24 words that backs up and restores your wallet. It IS your funds — store it offline, never share it.
Smart Contract Technology
Self-executing code on a blockchain that runs exactly as written when conditions are met — the basis of DeFi and NFTs.
Stablecoin Basics
A token designed to hold a steady value, usually pegged to a currency like the US dollar. Used to park value or trade.
Staking Earning
Locking up crypto to help secure a proof-of-stake network, earning rewards in return.
Token Basics
A digital asset built on an existing blockchain (often Ethereum), as opposed to a coin with its own chain. Can represent almost anything.
Volatility Trading
How sharply a price swings up and down. Crypto is known for high volatility — big gains and big losses alike.
Wallet Basics
Software or hardware that stores your keys and lets you send, receive and manage crypto. Your coins live on the chain, not "in" the wallet.
Whale Culture
An individual or entity holding a very large amount of a coin — enough that their trades can move the market.
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