A vape glossary is a plain-English reference that defines the hardware, e-liquid, coil, and slang terms vapers run into, from atomizer and sub-ohm to nic salt and 510 thread. This is the one to bookmark when a product description or forum thread leaves you guessing.
Vaping has its own vocabulary, and a lot of it gets thrown around with no explanation. Below are 150+ of the terms you'll actually encounter, grouped A to Z, each in a sentence or two. Where a term has its own full guide, we've linked it so you can go deeper. Use the table of contents to jump to a letter.
Numbers
- 0mg: e-liquid with no nicotine, for people who vape for flavor or have stepped all the way down off nicotine.
- 18650: a common removable lithium-ion battery size (18 mm by 65 mm) used in many box mods and larger devices.
- 21700: a larger removable battery cell than the 18650, offering more capacity and current for high-power mods.
- 510 thread: the standard screw connection between a battery and a cart, tank, or atomizer. See what is a 510 thread.
A
- Adapter: a small connector that lets mismatched parts fit, such as a magnetic adapter or a 510-to-eGo ring.
- ADV (all-day vape): an e-liquid flavor you enjoy enough to vape all day without getting tired of it.
- AIO (all-in-one): a device that combines the battery, tank, and coil into a single integrated unit.
- AFC (airflow control): the adjustable ring or slots that let you widen or tighten the airflow on a tank or pod.
- Airflow: the air pulled in and mixed with vapor. Tight airflow gives a firm draw, open airflow gives big clouds.
- Amp (amperage): the rate of current flow. Every battery has an amp limit you should never exceed.
- Amp limit: the maximum continuous current a cell can safely deliver. Building below it is a core safety rule.
- Analog: slang for a traditional combustible cigarette, as opposed to a vape.
- Atomizer: the part that turns liquid into vapor using a heated coil and wick. Full breakdown in what is an atomizer.
- Atty: shorthand for atomizer.
- Authentic: a genuine product from the original maker, as opposed to a clone or counterfeit.
- Automatic (draw-activated): a device with no firing button that powers the coil when you inhale.
B
- Battery: the cell that stores power and feeds the coil, either built-in and rechargeable or a removable cell.
- Battery wrap: the colored sleeve around a removable cell. A torn wrap exposes bare metal and is a safety hazard.
- Blinking codes: LED flash patterns a device uses to signal low battery, a bad connection, or a fault.
- Board (chipset): the small circuit that controls firing, voltage, and the safety cutoffs in a regulated device.
- Bottom airflow: an airflow inlet at the base of a tank, which gives a warmer draw but can leak more than top airflow.
- Box mod: a boxy, higher-power device, often with a screen and adjustable wattage. See what is a vape mod.
- Bridge: the small wick-and-coil assembly inside many disposables and older cartridges.
- Build: a hand-wrapped coil installed on a rebuildable atomizer, or the act of making one.
- Build deck: the platform on a rebuildable where you mount and wire your coils.
- Burnt hit: the harsh, scorched taste of firing a dry wick. Causes and fixes in why your vape tastes burnt.
- Bubble glass: a bulged replacement tank section that holds extra e-liquid.
C
- Cartridge (cart): a prefilled or refillable container of oil or e-liquid that attaches to a battery.
- Cartomizer: an older all-in-one cartridge with the coil built in, mostly replaced by modern carts and pods.
- Chain vaping: taking many puffs back to back with no pause, which dries the wick and can cause burnt hits.
- Charger: the cable or external bay that recharges a battery, usually over USB-C now.
- Childproof cap: a safety closure on e-liquid bottles that resists opening by small children.
- Clapton coil: a coil made by wrapping a thin wire around a thicker core wire for more surface area and flavor.
- Clearomizer: a clear-tank atomizer with a replaceable coil, the bridge between early cartomizers and modern tanks.
- Clone: a copy of a popular device or atomizer, sold cheaper than the authentic version.
- Cloud chasing: vaping built around producing the biggest possible vapor clouds, usually with sub-ohm gear.
- Coil: the resistance wire that heats up to vaporize liquid. The full story is in our ultimate guide to vape coils.
- Coil head: a prebuilt, replaceable stock coil that drops into a tank, no building required.
- Coil jig: a small rod-and-tool set used to wind neat, even coils for rebuildables.
- Concentrate: a potent cannabis extract like wax, shatter, or rosin, vaped in a wax pen or rig.
- Cotton: the wicking material that carries e-liquid to the coil. Organic cotton is the common choice.
- CBD: cannabidiol, a non-intoxicating cannabis compound, sold as oils, carts, and e-liquids.
- Crackle: the soft popping sound a coil makes as it vaporizes liquid, normal in small amounts.
- Cutting agent: a thinning additive sometimes mixed into oil carts. Quality carts avoid harmful ones.
D
- Dab: a dose of cannabis concentrate vaporized at high heat for a strong effect.
- Dab pen: a portable pen-style vaporizer for concentrates. Browse the dab pen category.
- Deck: see build deck, the platform that holds a rebuildable's coils.
- Diacetyl: a buttery flavoring compound now avoided by reputable e-liquid makers over inhalation concerns.
- Distillate: a refined, very potent cannabis oil common in prefilled carts.
- Disposable: a sealed, single-use vape you toss when it's empty. Stretch yours with our guide on making a disposable last longer, or shop disposables.
- Drag: how much effort a draw takes. A tight draw has high drag, an airy one has low drag.
- Draw: a single inhale, also called a pull or a hit.
- Drip tip: the removable mouthpiece on many tanks, swappable for comfort or a different draw.
- Dripper: an RDA, where you drip juice straight onto the coils. See RBA and RDA.
- Dry burn: briefly pulsing a coil with no liquid to clean off gunk, used on rebuildables only.
- Dry herb vaporizer: a device that heats ground flower without burning it. Browse dry herb vaporizers.
- Dry hit: a puff taken when the wick has run dry, producing a sharp, unpleasant taste.
- DTL (direct-to-lung): inhaling vapor straight into the lungs for big clouds. See MTL.
- Dual coil: an atomizer running two coils at once for more vapor and warmth.
E
- E-cigarette: the general term for an electronic device that vaporizes e-liquid instead of burning tobacco.
- eGo: an older, wider thread standard used on early pen batteries, now mostly retired in favor of 510.
- E-liquid (e-juice): the flavored liquid you vape, made from PG, VG, flavoring, and optional nicotine.
- E-rig: an electronic dab rig for concentrates with onboard heating. Browse e-rigs.
- Extract: a concentrated cannabis product such as wax, shatter, distillate, or rosin.
F
- Firing button: the switch you hold to heat the coil on a button-activated device.
- Flooding: too much e-liquid pooling in the coil, causing gurgling, spitback, and weak vapor.
- Flush-mount: a 510 connector where the center pin sits level with the threads, common on sealed-battery pens.
- Freebase nicotine: the traditional, more potent form of nicotine that gives a stronger throat hit at higher strengths.
- Flavor ghosting: a faint leftover taste of a previous e-liquid lingering after you switch flavors.
G
- Gurgling: a bubbling sound from a flooded coil or excess liquid in the airflow path.
- Glycerin: see vegetable glycerin (VG), the thicker base that makes most of the vapor.
- Grub screw: the tiny screw that clamps coil legs onto a rebuildable deck.
H
- Heat-not-burn: a product category that heats real tobacco instead of burning it, different from e-liquid vaping.
- HHC: hexahydrocannabinol, a cannabinoid sold in some carts and vapes.
- Hit: a single puff, same as a draw or pull.
- Hot spot: an unevenly heating point on a hand-built coil that glows first and tastes off until you fix it.
- Hybrid connection: a mod design where the atomizer pin contacts the battery directly, which is unsafe with the wrong gear.
I
- IMR battery: a lithium battery chemistry common in vaping for its safer, higher-current behavior.
- Inhale activation: another name for draw-activated firing, with no button to press.
- Isolate: a pure form of a single cannabinoid, such as CBD isolate, with everything else removed.
J
- Juice: everyday shorthand for e-liquid.
- Juice well: the recessed area on an RDA deck that holds dripped liquid around the coils.
K
- Kanthal: a common, beginner-friendly coil wire prized for holding its shape, used in wattage mode.
L
- Leaking: e-liquid escaping a tank or pod through seals, airflow, or a loose coil.
- Li-ion (lithium-ion): the rechargeable battery chemistry behind nearly all modern vapes.
- Live resin: a concentrate made from fresh-frozen cannabis, known for strong aroma and flavor.
- Low resistance: a coil under about 1.0 ohm, which pulls more current and runs hotter. See sub-ohm.
- Low-temp dab: a concentrate dab taken at a lower temperature for smoother, more flavorful vapor.
M
- mAh: milliamp-hours, the measure of battery capacity. A higher number means more puffs per charge.
- Mech mod (mechanical mod): an unregulated device with no safety circuit, for experienced users who understand battery limits.
- Menthol: a cooling flavor additive that gives a minty, icy sensation.
- mg/mL: milligrams of nicotine per milliliter, the strength rating on e-liquid. Dial it in with the nicotine calculator.
- Micro coil: a tightly wound coil whose wraps touch, once popular for concentrated heat and flavor.
- Mod: any vape device beyond a basic pen, short for "modified." Often means a box mod.
- Mouthpiece: the tip you draw from, which shapes airflow and vapor temperature.
- MTL (mouth-to-lung): drawing vapor into the mouth first, then inhaling, like a cigarette. See MTL vs DTL.
N
- Nectar collector: a straw-style concentrate vaporizer you touch to the extract. Browse nectar collectors.
- Nichrome: a fast-heating coil wire, popular for quick ramp-up in wattage mode.
- Nic salt (nicotine salt): a smoother form of nicotine that allows high strengths without harshness, common in pods.
- Nicotine: the addictive stimulant in tobacco and most e-liquids, sold in a range of strengths including zero.
O
- Ohm: the unit of electrical resistance, the key number that sets how a coil behaves.
- Ohm's law: the relationship between voltage, current, and resistance. Run the numbers with the Ohm's law calculator.
- Oil cartridge: a prefilled 510 cart holding cannabis or CBD oil.
- Organic cotton: the preferred wicking material for clean flavor in rebuildables.
- O-ring: a small rubber seal that keeps liquid in and stops leaks at a device's joints.
- Output: the power a device sends to the coil, set as voltage or wattage.
- Over-tightening: screwing a cart or coil on too hard, which can crush the center pin and break contact.
P
- Pass-through: the ability to vape a device while it charges over USB.
- Pen-style: a slim, cylindrical device shaped like a pen, the classic vape form factor.
- PG (propylene glycol): the thinner e-liquid base that carries flavor and throat hit. Compared in PG vs VG.
- Pod: a small snap-in reservoir for e-liquid, refillable or prefilled.
- Pod system: a compact device that uses pods instead of a tank. Browse pod systems.
- Power mode: running a device by setting wattage directly, the most common way to control output.
- Priming: soaking a fresh coil before first use so it doesn't burn. See how to prime a vape coil.
- Puff count: the rated number of puffs a disposable should deliver. Estimate yours with the puffs calculator.
- Pull: another word for a draw or hit.
Q
- Quartz coil: a concentrate heating element using a quartz bucket or rod, valued for clean flavor.
R
- Ramp-up time: how quickly a coil reaches vaping temperature after you fire it.
- RBA (rebuildable atomizer): the umbrella term for any atomizer you build your own coils on.
- RDA (rebuildable dripping atomizer): a tankless rebuildable where you drip juice onto the coils.
- RDTA (rebuildable dripping tank atomizer): a rebuildable with a tank below the deck that feeds the wick from underneath.
- Rebuildable: any atomizer designed for hand-built coils. The four types are compared in RDA vs RTA vs RDTA vs RBA.
- Reservoir: the general term for the tank, pod, or cartridge that holds e-liquid.
- Resistance: the coil's opposition to current, in ohms, which sets heat, vapor, and current draw.
- Resistance wire: the metal wire (kanthal, nichrome, stainless steel) you wrap into coils.
- RTA (rebuildable tank atomizer): a rebuildable with a juice tank that feeds the wick automatically.
- Rosin: a solventless concentrate pressed from cannabis with heat and pressure.
S
- Series and parallel: two ways to wire multiple batteries, changing voltage or current. Wiring affects safety.
- Shatter: a hard, glass-like cannabis concentrate that snaps when broken.
- Shortfill: a larger bottle of nicotine-free e-liquid left with room to add a nicotine shot.
- Single coil: an atomizer running one coil, simpler and easier on the battery than dual coil.
- Spitback: tiny drops of hot liquid popping up into the mouthpiece, usually from flooding.
- Squonk: an RDA setup where a bottle inside the mod feeds juice up through a hollow pin to the deck.
- Stainless steel (SS): a coil wire that works in both wattage and temperature-control modes.
- Steeping: letting an e-liquid sit so its flavors blend and mature before vaping.
- Stealth vaping: vaping discreetly with minimal vapor and a low profile.
- Stock coil: a prebuilt replaceable coil, the opposite of a hand-wrapped build.
- Sub-ohm: a coil under 1.0 ohm that runs hot for big clouds, requiring a battery rated for the current.
T
- Tank: the refillable chamber that holds e-liquid and feeds the coil.
- Temperature control (TC): a mode that caps coil temperature to prevent dry, burnt hits, using TC-capable wire.
- Terpenes: the aromatic compounds that give cannabis and many e-liquids their smell and flavor.
- THC: the main intoxicating compound in cannabis, found in many oil carts and concentrates.
- Throat hit: the firm sensation at the back of the throat, stronger with more nicotine or PG.
- Tobacco-free nicotine (TFN): synthetic nicotine not derived from tobacco leaf.
- Top airflow: an airflow inlet placed above the tank to cut down on leaking.
- Top-fill: a tank you refill from the top, quicker and less messy than bottom-fill.
U
- USB-C: the now-standard charging and data port on modern rechargeable vapes.
- Underfilling: not adding enough e-liquid, which can starve the wick and cause dry hits.
- Unregulated: a device with no safety chip, such as a mech mod, where the user manages all the risk.
V
- Vapor: the aerosol of vaporized e-liquid you inhale and exhale, not smoke.
- Vape band: a rubber ring around a glass tank that cushions it against drops.
- Vaper's tongue: a temporary dulling of taste that makes flavors seem faded after heavy vaping.
- Variable voltage (VV): a device setting that lets you raise or lower the voltage sent to the coil.
- Variable wattage (VW): a device setting that lets you choose the exact wattage, the most common power mode.
- Venting: the safe release of gas from a failing battery. A venting cell is a serious hazard, not a normal event.
- VG (vegetable glycerin): the thicker e-liquid base that produces vapor and smooths the draw. See PG.
- Voltage: the electrical pressure a battery delivers, adjustable on variable-voltage devices.
W
- Wattage: the power delivered to the coil, the main dial on most regulated mods.
- Wax pen: a pen-style vaporizer for wax concentrates. Browse wax pens.
- Wick: the cotton or fiber that carries e-liquid from the tank to the coil.
- Wire gauge: the thickness of coil wire, where a lower gauge number means a thicker wire.
- Wrap: one full loop of wire in a coil, where more wraps usually mean higher resistance.
Z
- Zero nicotine: e-liquid at 0 mg, with flavor and vapor but no nicotine at all.
Where to Go Next
That covers the vocabulary. If you're just starting out and want the formats explained rather than the words, our overview of the types of vape products is the natural next read, and the anatomy of a vape pen guide shows how these parts fit together inside a real device.