📖 Discord Glossary

Server

A community space someone created — for a game, class, hobby, or friend group. It holds channels and members. This is the central unit of Discord. (Lesson 1)

Guild

The older internal name for a server. You'll still see "guild" in some developer docs and help articles — it means exactly the same thing as server.

Direct Message (DM)

A private conversation between you and one other person, outside of any server. (Lesson 5)

Group DM

A small private conversation with several people (no server needed). You can add or remove people from it. (Lesson 5)

Server Rail

The vertical strip of server icons on the far left of the app. Clicking an icon switches servers. (Lesson 3)

Server Folder

A group of server icons you've dragged together on the rail to stay organized.

Channel

A "room" inside a server for one topic or purpose. Channels come in several types (below).

Text Channel

An ongoing written conversation, like #general. The most common channel type.

Voice Channel

A room you drop into to talk out loud (and optionally video/screen share). You're not "calling" anyone — you just enter. (Lesson 8)

Announcement Channel

A special text channel whose posts other servers can follow and republish. Good for official updates. (Lesson 17)

Forum Channel

A channel organized into individual posts (threads) with tags — great for help desks, Q&A, and showcases. (Lesson 17)

Stage Channel

An audio channel for audience-style events: a few speakers talk while everyone else listens and can request to speak. (Lesson 19)

Category

A labeled group of channels you can collapse and manage together (including syncing permissions). (Lesson 13)

Channel Topic

A short description shown at the top of a channel explaining what it's for.

Slowmode

A per-channel limit that makes members wait a set time between messages — handy for busy or heated channels.

Thread

A temporary side-conversation branched off a message or channel, so a tangent doesn't derail the main chat. Threads can archive when quiet. (Lesson 7)

Markdown

The simple text-formatting system Discord uses — **bold**, *italics*, `code`, and more. (Lesson 6)

Reaction

An emoji you attach to a message with a click, so many people can respond at a glance without cluttering the chat. (Lesson 6)

Emoji

A small picture/symbol in a message. Standard emoji are Free everywhere.

Custom Emoji

Emoji uploaded to a specific server. Using a server's own custom emoji in that server is Free; using custom emoji across other servers requires Nitro. (Lesson 6)

Sticker

A larger illustrated image you send as its own message. Basic stickers are Free; some sticker packs and using stickers everywhere are Nitro.

Spoiler

Hidden text or media the reader must click to reveal — write it as ||spoiler||.

Mention

Tagging a person (@name) or group (@role) so they get notified. Use @everyone and @here sparingly. (Lesson 7)

@everyone / @here

Special mentions that ping every member (@everyone) or just those currently online (@here). Often permission-restricted.

Reply

A response linked to a specific earlier message, with a toggle for whether it also pings the author. (Lesson 7)

Pin

A message flagged as important so it's easy to find later in that channel's pinned list. (Lesson 7)

Search Filters

Keywords like from:, in:, has:link, before: and after: that narrow the search bar's results.

Mute

Turns off your microphone so others can't hear you (you can still hear them).

Deafen

Turns off both your microphone and your speakers — you hear nothing and say nothing.

Push-to-Talk (PTT)

A mode where your mic only transmits while you hold a chosen key — great in noisy or large rooms. (Lesson 8)

Voice Activity

The opposite of PTT: your mic transmits automatically when you speak, based on a sensitivity threshold.

Noise Suppression

A feature (Discord's is powered by Krisp) that filters out background noise like typing or fans. Free.

Screen Share

Showing others your whole screen or a single window/app in a voice channel or call. Basic sharing is Free; higher resolution/framerate is Nitro. (Lesson 9)

Go Live

Streaming a specific application to a voice channel so others in the channel can watch. (Lesson 9)

Soundboard

Quick sound clips you can play in a voice channel. Basic use is Free; some slots/sounds may be tied to Boost — check Discord's current page.

Stage Speaker / Audience

In a Stage channel, speakers are the people talking; the audience listens and can raise a hand to request to speak. (Lesson 19)

Friend Request

An invitation to become friends, usually sent by someone's username. You control who can send you one. (Lesson 5)

Block

Stops a specific person from DMing you and hides their messages from you. It's silent — they get no notification. (Lesson 10)

Ignore

A lighter option that quiets a person or conversation without a full block.

Message Request

A holding area where DMs from non-friends wait for you to Accept, Ignore, or Report & Block — without the sender knowing. (Lesson 10)

Status

Your presence indicator: Online, Idle, Do Not Disturb, or Invisible. (Lesson 3)

Invisible

A status that lets you use Discord while appearing offline to others.

Do Not Disturb (DND)

A status that silences notification pop-ups while you keep using the app.

Activity Status

The "currently playing/using" label Discord can show. You can turn this off in settings.

Role

A named group with a color and a set of permissions that you assign to members (e.g. Mod, Member). (Lesson 14)

Permission

A specific ability a role grants or denies — like Manage Messages, Kick Members, or Mention Everyone. (Lesson 14)

@everyone (base role)

The default role every member has; its permissions are the baseline for the whole server.

Permission Override

A per-channel adjustment (allow/deny/neutral) that layers on top of a role's server-wide permissions. (Lesson 14)

Role Hierarchy

The ordered list of roles. Higher roles can manage lower ones — so a mod can't action someone ranked above them. (Lesson 14)

Administrator

A powerful permission that bypasses essentially all others. Hand it out very carefully. (Lesson 14)

AutoMod

Discord's built-in, Free automated moderation that can block certain words, spam, or harmful links before a human sees them. (Lesson 15)

Verification Level

A gate for new members (e.g. verified email, phone, or time in server) that reduces spam and raids. (Lesson 15)

Timeout

Temporarily prevents a member from chatting or speaking — the gentle first moderation tool. (Lesson 15)

Kick

Removes a member from the server; they can rejoin with a new invite.

Ban

Removes a member and blocks them from rejoining, optionally deleting their recent messages.

Audit Log

A record of administrative actions (who did what) in a server, useful for accountability.

Community Server

A server with Community features enabled, which unlocks tools like announcements, onboarding, and the Server Guide (and adds some requirements). Free. (Lesson 17)

Onboarding

A customizable newcomer flow — questions that hand out roles or reveal channels — to help people get started. (Lesson 17)

Server Guide

A curated getting-started list that points new members to key channels and first steps.

Welcome Screen

The intro panel new members see, highlighting where to go first.

Membership Screening

A step where new members agree to the rules before they can participate.

Scheduled Event

A planned event tied to a voice/stage channel or an external time and place, which members can RSVP to. (Lesson 18)

Invite Link

A URL that lets someone join a server. Invites can be temporary or permanent and can expire. (Lesson 4)

Discovery

Discord's public directory where eligible servers can be found and joined. (Lesson 4)

Student Hub

A school-linked space that gathers servers for a particular campus. Availability and details vary — check Discord's current pages.

Vanity URL

A custom, memorable invite link (like discord.gg/yourname). Requires a boosted server. Boost (Lesson 21)

Bot

An app that acts like a special member with automated powers — moderation, utilities, fun. Adding most bots is Free. (Lesson 20)

Slash Command

A command you run by typing / followed by a name — the modern way to use bots and many built-in features. (Lesson 20)

Webhook

A no-code way for outside apps or automations to post messages into a channel. Created in a channel's integration settings. (Lesson 20)

Integration

A connection between Discord and another app or service (bots and webhooks are integrations).

OAuth (Authorize)

The permission screen where you approve exactly what a bot or app may do before you add it. Read it before you click Authorize. (Lesson 20)

You never need any of these to use Discord fully. They're extras — we cover them honestly in Lesson 21. Prices and exact limits change and vary by country, so we don't quote them; check discord.com/nitro.

Nitro Nitro

A personal subscription that adds perks for you: bigger uploads, HD/higher-framerate streaming, custom & animated emoji everywhere, an animated avatar/profile, and more. (Lesson 21)

Server Boost Boost

A perk members buy to upgrade a whole server. Enough Boosts raise the server's Boost Level. (Lesson 21)

Boost Level Boost

A tier a server reaches as members Boost it, unlocking things like better audio quality, more emoji/sticker slots, an animated server icon/banner, and a vanity URL.

Animated Avatar / Profile Nitro

A moving profile picture and richer profile styling — a Nitro perk. A static avatar and basic profile are Free.

Username

Your unique, lowercase @handle — the "key" people use to find and friend you. It's different from your display name. (Lesson 2)

Display Name (Global Name)

The friendly name shown to others, which you can change freely. It doesn't have to be unique. (Lesson 2)

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

An extra login step (usually a code from an authenticator app) that strongly protects your account. Free and highly recommended. (Lesson 2)

Token

A secret credential that represents your logged-in account. Never share it with anyone — no legitimate person or bot needs it. (Lesson 10)

Family Center

A tool that lets a parent/guardian see a teen's activity overview (friends added, servers joined, who they messaged) — but not the content of messages. (Lesson 11)

Teen Safety Protections

Extra safeguards Discord applies to teen accounts by default, such as content filtering and warnings on messages from unknown users. Names/specifics change — see discord.com/safety. (Lesson 11)

Report

Flagging a message, user, or server to Discord's safety team. Reporting is always an appropriate response to bad behavior. (Lesson 11)

Phishing / Scam Link

A deceptive message or link (e.g. fake "free Nitro") that tries to steal your login or money. Don't click; Report & Block. (Lesson 10)