Vaping Glossary A–Z
New to vaping? Our comprehensive glossary explains every common vaping term in plain English, so you'll never feel lost when reading product descriptions or guides.
5
- 510 Thread
- The universal connection standard used to attach tanks and atomisers to box mods. Named after the 5mm diameter and 10 threads of the original design.
A
- Airflow
- Adjustable air intake on a tank or pod that controls how tight or airy your draw feels. Tighter airflow mimics a cigarette; open airflow produces more vapour.
- All-Day Vape (ADV)
- An e-liquid flavour you enjoy enough to vape throughout the day without getting bored of it.
- Atomiser
- The component that heats e-liquid into vapour. The term encompasses coils, tanks, and any heating element assembly.
B
- Bar Salt
- Nicotine salt e-liquid formulated to replicate the flavours of popular disposable vapes (bars) in refillable devices.
- Battery (mAh)
- Milliamp hours — a measure of battery capacity. Higher mAh means longer battery life between charges.
- Box Mod
- A larger, box-shaped vaping device with advanced features like variable wattage, temperature control, and replaceable batteries.
C
- Coil
- A small replaceable component containing a wire wrapped in cotton. The wire heats up and the cotton wicks e-liquid to it for vaporisation.
- Cloud Chasing
- The hobby of producing the largest possible vapour clouds, typically using sub-ohm setups with high VG e-liquids.
D
- Deck
- The base of a rebuildable atomiser where you install your own coil wire and wick.
- Direct-to-Lung (DTL)
- A vaping style where vapour is inhaled directly into the lungs in one breath, similar to breathing deeply. Produces large clouds.
- Disposable Vape
- A single-use, pre-filled vape device that is discarded when the battery or e-liquid runs out. Not refillable or rechargeable.
- Drip Tip
- The mouthpiece you inhale from. Available in different materials (resin, metal, plastic) and bore sizes (wide for DTL, narrow for MTL).
- Dry Hit
- An unpleasant burnt taste caused by firing the coil when the wick is dry. Prevented by proper priming and keeping the tank filled.
E
- E-Liquid
- The liquid used in vapes, consisting of PG, VG, flavourings, and optionally nicotine. Also called vape juice or e-juice.
F
- Flooding
- When excess e-liquid enters the coil chamber, causing gurgling sounds and poor performance. Usually resolved by clearing the airway.
- Freebase Nicotine
- The traditional form of nicotine in e-liquids. Provides a stronger throat hit but can be harsh at higher concentrations.
M
- Mesh Coil
- A coil made with a mesh strip instead of round wire, providing more even heating, better flavour, and usually longer coil life.
- Mod
- Short for modification. A vaping device—usually referring to the battery/power unit—that can be paired with different tanks.
- Mouth-to-Lung (MTL)
- A vaping style mimicking cigarette smoking: vapour is drawn into the mouth first, then inhaled into the lungs. More discreet with less vapour.
N
- Nicotine Salt (Nic Salt)
- A form of nicotine using benzoic acid to lower the pH, providing a smoother hit at higher strengths. Ideal for pod kits.
O
- Ohm (Ω)
- A unit of electrical resistance. Lower ohm (sub-ohm, below 1.0Ω) coils produce more vapour and heat; higher ohm coils are used for MTL vaping.
P
- PG (Propylene Glycol)
- One of the two base liquids in e-liquid. PG carries flavour well and provides a noticeable throat hit. Thinner consistency.
- Pod Kit
- A compact, user-friendly vaping device that uses replaceable pods instead of a traditional tank. Most popular device type for beginners.
- Priming
- The process of saturating a new coil with e-liquid before use to prevent dry hits and extend coil life.
- Puff Counter
- A feature on some devices that tracks how many puffs you've taken, useful for monitoring intake.
R
- RDA
- Rebuildable Dripping Atomiser — an advanced atomiser where you build your own coils and manually drip e-liquid onto the wick.
- RTA
- Rebuildable Tank Atomiser — like an RDA but with a tank section to hold e-liquid, so you don't need to drip.
S
- Shortfill
- A larger bottle (typically 50ml in a 60ml bottle) of 0mg e-liquid with space to add a nicotine shot, making it cheaper per ml.
- Squonk
- A type of mod with a built-in squeezable e-liquid bottle that feeds liquid up through the 510 connection to an RDA.
- Starter Kit
- A complete vaping package for beginners, typically including a device, charging cable, and sometimes a coil or pod already installed.
- Sub-Ohm
- Vaping with a coil resistance below 1.0 ohm, producing more vapour and warmer hits. Requires lower nicotine strength (3-6mg).
T
- Tank
- A transparent reservoir that holds e-liquid and houses the coil. Typically made of glass or PCTG plastic.
- Throat Hit
- The sensation felt at the back of the throat when inhaling. Stronger with freebase nicotine and higher PG ratios.
- TPD
- Tobacco Products Directive — EU legislation (retained in UK law) regulating the manufacture and sale of e-cigarettes and e-liquids.
V
- VG (Vegetable Glycerine)
- One of the two base liquids in e-liquid. VG is thicker, slightly sweet, and produces denser vapour clouds.
W
- Wattage
- The power setting on a variable wattage device. Higher wattage means more heat, more vapour, and faster e-liquid consumption.
- Wicking
- The process of e-liquid being drawn through cotton to the coil via capillary action. Good wicking = consistent flavour.