Learn crypto, in plain English
Short answers to the words you will meet first. No jargon, no hype - and never financial advice.
BitcoinThe first cryptocurrency: digital money with no bank in the middle.BlockchainA shared record of transactions that nobody can quietly change.EthereumA blockchain that runs programs (smart contracts), with Ether (ETH) as its coin.AltcoinAny coin that is not Bitcoin.StablecoinA coin meant to stay at one dollar (or another currency).USDT (Tether)The biggest stablecoin, meant to be worth one US dollar.Market value (market cap)Price x the coins in circulation - how big a coin is.Value if every coin existed (FDV)The market value if all the coins that will ever exist were already out.Coins in circulationHow many coins exist and can be traded today.Trading volumeHow much of a coin was bought and sold, usually over 24 hours.LiquidityHow easily you can buy or sell without moving the price.Order bookThe list of open buy and sell orders on an exchange.SlippageThe difference between the price you expected and the price you got.Limit order and market orderName your price (limit) or take the best price now (market).Stop-lossAn order that sells automatically if the price falls to a level you choose.Dollar-cost averaging (DCA)Buying a fixed amount at regular times, whatever the price.VolatilityHow much and how fast a price moves.Fear & Greed indexA 0-100 reading of the market mood.Bitcoin dominanceBitcoin's share of the whole crypto market's value.HalvingWhen the new bitcoins paid to miners are cut in half.MiningComputers securing a blockchain in return for new coins and fees.WalletWhere your coins are controlled - by you, or by an exchange.Seed phraseThe 12 or 24 words that can restore - or steal - your wallet.Cold storageKeeping coins in a wallet that is never online.ExchangeA website or app where you buy, sell and trade crypto.API keyA key that lets an app read (or trade on) your exchange account.Gas feeThe fee paid to use a blockchain such as Ethereum.Smart contractA program on a blockchain that runs exactly as written.DeFi (decentralised finance)Lending, borrowing and trading run by smart contracts instead of banks.Capital Gains Tax on crypto (UK)Tax on the profit when you sell, swap or spend crypto.