What Do Reddit Icons and Symbols Mean? A Quick Guide

Ever looked at a Reddit post and wondered what all those little symbols and icons mean? You’re not alone! Reddit’s interface is packed with visual cues, but they’re not always self-explanatory. Our guide will take the mystery out of Reddit’s iconography, explaining the function of each icon and symbol on Reddit you’ll come across, so you can easily understand and interact with posts, comments, and communities.

Table of Contents

Icons on Reddit Home Screen

Let’s start with the Home Screen. These are the icons that appear on the home screen of your Reddit page:

Navigation Bar at the Top:

Reddit Logo Icon: Clicking the Reddit logo will take you back to the Reddit home page or your personalized feed.
Search Bar (Magnifying glass icon): Use this to search for specific posts, communities (subreddits), or other users on Reddit.
Advertise on Reddit (Target/ chart) Icon: By clicking on this, you can use Reddit’s built-in advertising platform to create paid promotional posts.
Chat (Bubble with three-dot) Icon: This opens your Reddit chat or messaging interface, where you can communicate privately with other users.
Create Post (Plus sign) Icon: This allows you to create a new post to share with the Reddit community.
Notifications Icon (Bell icon): This shows you your recent Reddit notifications, such as replies to your comments, mentions, direct messages, and other activity.
User Profile Icon: Clicking this will open a menu with options related to your Reddit account, such as viewing your profile, settings, logging out, etc.
Sort Options (Drop Down Arrow): Sort your feed by Best, Hot, New, Top, or Rising.
Square Box in Two Parts Icon: You can use this icon to change the view of your feed with two options- Card and Compact.

Note: Please note that the exact icons and their positions might vary slightly depending on the user’s platform (desktop/mobile) and Reddit version.

Post Elements (On the main feed):

Subreddit Icon/Name: This icon indicates which subreddit the post belongs to. Clicking it takes you to that subreddit’s page.
Vote Buttons (Up and Down arrow) Icon: Used to vote on a post, indicating whether you like or dislike it.
More Options (Three-dot) Icon: Access additional actions like Save, Hide, Report, Share, and sometimes more, depending on the post and subreddit
Award (Medal) Icon: Shows if a post has received any Reddit awards.
Chat (Bubble) Icon: Shows comments on the post.

Symbols Next to Reddit Usernames

1. Emoji Colored Symbols with Crown

On Reddit, you might notice small colored symbols next to some usernames. These symbols indicate a user’s standing within a specific subreddit community.

Red Symbol (Red emoji with crown) Icon: This symbol signifies that the user is a top poster in the subreddit. This means their posts have received a high number of upvotes, placing them among the top contributors of content in that community. Essentially, they’re posting popular stuff!
Yellow Symbol (Yellow duck emoji with crown) Icon: This symbol indicates that the user is a top commenter in the subreddit. Similar to the red symbol, this means their comments have garnered a lot of upvotes, making them one of the most appreciated voices in the discussions. They’re providing valuable insights or sparking engaging conversations.

Note: These symbols are specific to each subreddit. A user might be a top poster in one community but not in another. Also, the exact appearance of these symbols might vary slightly depending on the subreddit’s design.

2. Cake Day! What’s That Cake Icon Mean?

Cake Icon: Occasionally, you’ll see a small cake icon next to a Redditor’s username. This signifies their “Cake Day,” which is the anniversary of the day they created their Reddit account. Think of it as their Reddit birthday!

It appears for 24 hours on their Cake Day, letting everyone know it’s their special day on the platform. It’s a fun little tradition on Reddit, and some users even get special greetings or well-wishes from others.

In the image above, you can see the cake icon next to the user’s name, meaning it’s their Cake Day!

3. Shield Icon: Premium Status

Some Reddit users have a shield icon displayed next to their usernames. This shield indicates that the user has Reddit Premium.

Reddit Premium is a paid membership that gives users access to exclusive features, such as:

Ad-free browsing: Enjoy Reddit without any advertisements.
Custom avatars: Create and use unique avatars.
Exclusive awards: Give special awards to posts and comments.
Access to r/lounge: A private community for Premium members.

The shield icon is a visual indicator of this premium status. It’s a way for users to show their support for Reddit and enjoy an enhanced experience.

4. Little Red Trashcan: What’s It For?

You might occasionally see a small red trashcan icon on a Reddit post, usually near the other post controls (like the upvote/downvote buttons and the comment icon). This icon means the post has been removed.

Removed posts are no longer visible on the subreddit’s main page or in users’ feeds. There are several reasons why a post might be removed:

Rule Violations: The post broke one of the subreddit’s rules.
Spam: The post was flagged as spam.
Self-Deletion: The user who posted it chose to delete it.
Moderator Removal: A moderator manually removed the post.

When you see the trashcan icon, it means the post is no longer accessible. In some cases, you might still see a placeholder comment indicating that the post was removed, but the actual content will be gone.

Note: The trashcan icon indicates that the post is permanently removed. It’s different from the “hide” option, which only hides the post from your view.

5. Any Icon Next to the Username

On Reddit, you might notice a variety of small icons displayed next to users’ names. These icons provide quick visual cues about the user or their status within the community. They can indicate things like:

Top Poster/Commenter: (As explained in the previous section)
Premium Membership: (As explained in the previous section)

And there might be even more! Reddit’s icon system can be quite diverse. So, how do you keep track of what they all mean?

The Easiest Way to Find Out:

If you’re ever unsure about the meaning of a specific icon next to a username, the simplest way to find out is to visit the user’s profile. In most cases, hovering your cursor over the icon (on desktop) or tapping on it (on mobile) will reveal a tooltip or small pop-up explaining what the icon represents.

In the example above, hovering over the orange shield icon reveals that it signifies the user is a premium Reddit user.

Beyond upvotes and awards, Reddit also has a system of Achievements that users can earn for various contributions. Explore the full list of these badges and learn how to unlock them in this comprehensive guide of Master list of mostly all the Reddit Achievements link

What does Gilded Posts on Reddit Mean?

On Reddit, you might see some posts highlighted with gold, platinum, or even other shiny medal-like icons. These posts have been “gilded,” meaning another user has given them a Reddit Award. Essentially, it’s like giving a virtual “gold star” to the post.

Reddit Awards are a way for users to show their appreciation for high-quality content. They’re like digital tips or tokens of recognition. When a post is gilded, it means someone found it particularly valuable, funny, insightful, or otherwise worthy of recognition.

There are different types of Awards, each with its own cost (in Reddit Coins) and associated perks for both the giver and the receiver. The most common Awards are:

Gold: A classic award that highlights the post and gives the recipient a small amount of Reddit Premium time.
Platinum: A higher-tier award that provides more Reddit Premium time and other benefits.
Other Awards: Reddit occasionally introduces new or limited-edition awards with varying effects.

When a post is gilded, the award icon (gold, platinum, etc.) is displayed prominently next to the post. This makes it easy to spot posts that have received special recognition from the community.

What Gilding Means:

High-Quality Content: Gilded posts are generally considered to be exceptional in some way.
Community Appreciation: It’s a sign that the post resonated strongly with other users.
Prestige: Gilding can add a level of prestige to a post and its creator.
Support for Reddit: The purchase of Reddit Coins to give awards helps support the platform.

Locked and Archived Post Icons Explained

On Reddit, you might encounter posts with special icons indicating that commenting and/or voting is no longer possible. These are either “Locked” or “Archived” posts.

Locked Post (Padlock) Icon: This icon means that the comments section of the post has been locked. While the post itself remains visible and can be viewed, no one can post new comments or replies. Moderators often use this feature to control discussions, prevent spam, or when a thread has run its course. The post itself can still be upvoted or downvoted (unless it’s also archived).
Archived Post (Box with a lid) Icon: This icon indicates that the post has been archived. Archived posts are “frozen” in time. Not only are new comments disabled, but voting (upvoting and downvoting) is also no longer possible. Reddit automatically archives posts after a certain period (usually 6 months), though moderators can also manually archive posts. Archiving preserves the post as a historical record but prevents further interaction.

Key Differences:

Comments: Locked posts prevent new comments, while archived posts prevent all comments (including replies).
Voting: Locked posts usually still allow voting, while archived posts disable voting.
Time: Locking is a moderator action, while archiving can be automatic or manual and often happens after a set time.

And that’s it! We hope this guide has helped you decode the sometimes cryptic world of Reddit icons. Now you’re equipped to navigate the platform with confidence.

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