Bitcoin has its own special words. Some of them sound confusing at first. This page explains the most important ones in simple English. Come back here anytime you read a word you don’t know.
Altcoin
Any cryptocurrency that isn’t Bitcoin. Ethereum and Litecoin are altcoins.
ASIC
Short for “Application-Specific Integrated Circuit.” It’s a special computer chip built only for mining. ASIC miners are much faster than a regular computer at mining Bitcoin.
Block
A page in Bitcoin’s big shared list (the blockchain). Each block holds a group of transactions.
Block Reward
The new Bitcoin a miner earns for successfully adding a new block to the blockchain.
Blockchain
The full list of every Bitcoin transaction ever made. Thousands of computers around the world keep a copy of it, so no one can secretly change it.
Cloud Mining
Renting mining power from a company’s computers instead of buying your own machine. GoMining is an example of this.
Cold Storage
Keeping your Bitcoin on a device that isn’t connected to the internet, like a small USB drive made for crypto. This keeps it safer from hackers.
Difficulty
A number that shows how hard it is to mine a new block right now. It goes up and down so blocks keep coming out about every 10 minutes. Curious how this actually works, and why it just dropped a lot in 2026? Read our full Bitcoin Mining Difficulty, Explained guide.
Efficiency (W/TH or J/TH)
How much electricity a miner uses for each terahash of power. W/TH (watts per terahash) and J/TH (joules per terahash) mean the same thing. A lower number is better, because the machine uses less power to do the same work. See GoMining Digital Miners, Explained.
Exchange
A website where you can trade regular money for Bitcoin, or trade Bitcoin for other cryptocurrencies. Coinbase and Binance are examples.
Fiat Currency
Regular government money, like dollars or euros. Bitcoin is not fiat currency — no government controls it.
Halving
An event that happens about every four years, where the reward miners earn gets cut in half. This helps keep Bitcoin rare. See our full Bitcoin Halving Explained guide for the history of past halvings and what they mean for miners.
Hardware Wallet
A small physical device that stores your Bitcoin offline. It’s one of the safest ways to hold crypto.
Hashprice
How much money one unit of mining power earns in a day, based on Bitcoin’s price and how hard mining is right now. It is often shown in dollars per petahash per day. Miners use it to compare earnings against their power bill. See Bitcoin Mining Electricity Costs, Explained.
Hashrate
How much mining power a machine (or the whole network) has. A higher hashrate means more guesses per second at solving the mining puzzle.
HODL
A funny misspelling of “hold” that crypto fans use. It means holding onto your Bitcoin instead of selling it, even when the price drops.
Lottery Mining
Mining alone (solo) with a small machine, hoping to find a whole block yourself. The odds are small, but so is the cost to try.
Maintenance Fee
The daily fee a cloud mining service charges to run the real hardware for you. It usually covers electricity and upkeep, and it comes out of your rewards before you get them.
Mining
The process of using computers to check Bitcoin transactions and add new blocks to the blockchain. Miners earn new Bitcoin as a reward.
Mining Pool
A group of miners who combine their computer power and split the rewards. This gives smaller, steadier payouts instead of one big rare win.
NFT
Short for “Non-Fungible Token.” A digital item that proves you own something unique. GoMining uses NFTs to represent virtual mining power.
Node
A computer that keeps a full copy of the blockchain and helps check that transactions are real.
Payout Method (PPS, FPPS, PPLNS)
The rules a mining pool uses to decide how much to pay you. Some pay a steady amount every day. Others pay more or less depending on the pool’s luck. See Mining Pool Fees Explained.
Private Key
A secret code that proves you own your Bitcoin. Never share this with anyone — it’s like the password to your money.
Proof of Work
The system Bitcoin uses where miners must solve a hard math puzzle to add a new block. It takes real computer power and electricity, which is why it’s called “work.”
Public Address
The “account number” you share with others so they can send you Bitcoin. It’s safe to share this one.
Satoshi (Sat)
The smallest piece of a Bitcoin. There are 100 million satoshis in one whole Bitcoin. It’s named after Bitcoin’s mysterious creator, Satoshi Nakamoto.
Seed Phrase
A list of 12 or 24 random words that can restore your wallet if you lose your device. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe and secret.
Solo Mining
Mining by yourself instead of joining a pool. You keep the whole reward if you win, but wins are rare.
TH/s (Terahashes per Second)
A way to measure mining power. One terahash is one trillion guesses. So 10 TH/s means ten trillion guesses every second. See What Is Bitcoin Hashrate?
Wallet
An app or device that stores your Bitcoin and lets you send or receive it. It doesn’t hold physical coins — it holds the keys that prove what’s yours.
Whale
A person or group that owns a huge amount of Bitcoin. Their trades can sometimes move the price.
Keep Learning
Want the full picture? Start with What Is Bitcoin, Really?, or grab my free Bitcoin Beginner Blueprint to see exactly how I got started.
This page is for learning only and is not financial, investment, or tax advice. See my full Affiliate Disclosure for how this site earns money.
