Common Reddit Jargon: What Does OP & Cake Day Mean On Reddit?
Reddit has a lot of subreddits with many users posting every day. Since it’s a vast platform hosting discussions on multiple topics, users on Reddit use specific terminology to identify certain things. Likewise, here’s what commonly heard terms like “OP” and “cake day” mean on Reddit.
You might have heard about terms like OP and cake day if you ever opened a Reddit post. The platform uses specific terms to make the user experience more effortless. That said, here’s a brief explanation of these slang words and some other standard phrases.
What does OP mean on Reddit?
Users can create posts across several subreddits that they’ve joined. The user who creates a post is termed the original poster or OP of the post. Since discussions on Reddit can quickly heat up, users can use the term OP to refer to the original poster.
However, some users also consider the OP term to refer to the “original post” made by the original poster. OP primarily refers to the original poster on Reddit, but you should know its other meaning, too, just in case.
OP usually initiates a post on Reddit, a discussion thread, a meme, or a question. Other users in the comment section refer to the original poster as OP instead of their username.
What is Cake Day on Reddit?
‘Cake Day’ is a 24 hour (a day) time celebrated as an annual anniversary event for Reddit users. It’s the anniversary day on which a user first joined Reddit. Also, a user’s cake day begins on the exact second a user signed up on Reddit.
Many users often confuse cake day on Reddit with their birthday. At the same time, it’s understandable why you would think that your cake day is not your birthday.
So, what’s the fuss about? When it’s your cake day, Reddit shows a cake icon across your username on all your posts and comments. Consequently, you will likely get more upvotes and engagement from other users on your cake day.
It’s pretty easy to view your cake day, in case you forgot. Your Cake Day will appear on your public profile if you have a Reddit account. You will not have a cake day if you don’t have a Reddit account.
Other common terms on Reddit
While the list of Reddit jargon is endless, here are some other standard terms that Redditors use:
- AMA: Ask Me Anything
- Alt: The user’s alternate account.
- Crosspost: A post that was posted on another subreddit, which the OP recognized.
- ELI5: Explain Like I’m 5 Years Old.
- TIL: Today I Learned.
- IIRC: If I Remember Correctly
- IMO: In My Opinion
- TL;DR: Too Long; Didn’t Read. The term is usually used to summarize long content.
- Karma: Points based on user activity.
Karma is Reddit’s voting system, where you can upvote or downvote posts and comments to provide positive or negative karma points. To learn more about the points system, check out our Reddit Karma guide.
