If you run a WordPress website, you’ll often hear terms that sound technical or confusing at first. This glossary explains them in simple English so you can understand what each one means and how it affects your site.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
A
Admin area
The private dashboard where you manage your WordPress site — add posts, install plugins, and change settings. You can access it at /wp-admin.
API (Application Programming Interface)
A system that lets WordPress connect with other software or services, such as payment gateways, analytics tools, or AI writing apps.
Autosave
A built-in feature that automatically saves your post drafts as you write, helping to prevent data loss if something crashes.
Avatar
A small image representing a user, often shown next to comments or author profiles.
B
Back end
The part of a WordPress site that only admins can see — where you manage content, themes, and settings.
Backup
A copy of your website’s files and database. Backups protect you from data loss and can be restored if something goes wrong.
Block editor (Gutenberg)
The modern WordPress content editor introduced in version 5.0. It lets you build pages and posts using blocks for text, images, and layouts.
Breadcrumbs
Navigation links that show where a page sits within your site’s structure. They help users find their way around and assist with SEO.
C
Cache
A system that stores static copies of your pages to help them load faster for visitors. Caching plugins like WP Rocket or LiteSpeed Cache manage this automatically.
Category
A way of grouping posts by topic. Categories help readers and search engines understand your site’s structure.
Child theme
A theme that inherits its design and functionality from another (the “parent theme”), allowing safe customisation without losing updates.
Classic editor
The older version of the WordPress editor, used before Gutenberg. Some people still prefer it for its simplicity.
CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)
The code that controls how your website looks — colours, fonts, spacing, and layout. You can add custom CSS in the WordPress Customiser.
D
Dashboard
The main control panel you see after logging into WordPress. It provides quick access to posts, pages, media, and site settings.
Database
Where all your site’s content and settings are stored — posts, comments, users, and plugin data. WordPress uses a MySQL database.
Default theme
The theme that comes pre-installed with WordPress (such as Twenty Twenty-Five). It’s a good starting point for learning.
DNS (Domain Name System)
Translates your domain name (like example.com) into the server’s IP address so browsers can find your site.
E
Editor role
A WordPress user role that can publish, edit, and manage content created by others, but not change site settings.
Embed
Displaying external content on your site — such as a YouTube video or Instagram post — by pasting the link directly into a block.
Error 404
The page shown when a visitor tries to access a link that doesn’t exist or has been removed.
Excerpt
A short summary of a post that appears on blog listings or archive pages. You can write it manually or let WordPress generate one automatically.
F
Featured image
The main image representing a post or page. It’s shown in blog feeds, previews, and social media shares.
Footer
The bottom section of your website. It often contains navigation links, contact information, or copyright details.
Front end
The public-facing side of your website that visitors see and interact with.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
A way to connect directly to your web server to upload or edit files. Useful for troubleshooting or manual installations.
G
Gutenberg
The name of WordPress’s block editor. It allows you to design pages visually using blocks instead of raw code.
Gallery block
A block that displays multiple images in a grid or slideshow format.
Gravatar
Short for “Globally Recognised Avatar.” It’s an image linked to your email address that appears on WordPress sites when you comment or post.
H
Header
The top section of your website, usually containing the logo, navigation menu, and sometimes a call-to-action button.
Hosting
The service that stores your website’s files on a server and makes them accessible online. Good hosting improves speed and security.
HTML (HyperText Markup Language)
The code that structures all web pages, including WordPress sites. You can view or edit it in the “Code Editor” view.
I
Image block
A block used to add a single image to a post or page, with options for captions, alignment, and links.
Import/export
Tools for transferring content between WordPress sites. You can import posts, pages, and comments using the built-in importer.
Indexing
The process of getting your site’s pages added to search engine databases so they can appear in search results.
Internal link
A hyperlink that connects one page or post on your site to another, helping visitors explore related content and improving SEO.
J
JavaScript
A scripting language that adds interactivity to WordPress sites, such as drop-down menus and sliders.
JSON
A data format used by WordPress’s REST API for exchanging information between systems.
K
Kadence
A popular WordPress theme and block plugin that lets you design pages visually with powerful layout options.
Keyword
The main word or phrase a post or page targets for SEO. WordPress SEO plugins help optimise your keywords.
L
Login page
The page where you enter your username and password to access your WordPress admin area. Usually found at /wp-login.php.
Loop
The code structure WordPress uses to display posts dynamically on a page or archive.
Library (Media Library)
Where all your uploaded images, videos, and files are stored and managed within WordPress.
M
Menu
The navigation area that links to key sections of your site, such as Home, About, and Contact. Managed under Appearance → Menus.
Meta description
A short summary of a page that appears in search results. It’s added using SEO plugins such as Rank Math.
Multisite
A WordPress feature that allows multiple websites to run from one installation. Commonly used for networks or large organisations.
MySQL
The database system WordPress uses to store content, user data, and settings.
N
Navigation bar
A horizontal or vertical menu that helps users move between pages on your site.
Nonce
A security token used in WordPress to verify actions and protect against malicious activity.
Notifications
Messages shown in the admin area to alert you to updates, plugin issues, or system changes.
O
Open source
Software that’s free to use, modify, and distribute. WordPress is open source, supported by a global community of developers.
Options table
A database table (wp_options) that stores your site’s configuration, settings, and plugin data.
Optimisation
Improving your WordPress site’s performance through caching, image compression, or code clean-ups.
P
Page
Static content that doesn’t change often — like About or Contact pages — compared to regularly updated posts.
Page builder
A plugin or theme feature (like Kadence, Elementor, or Divi) that lets you design pages visually without coding.
Permalink
The permanent URL for a post or page. You can customise its structure under Settings → Permalinks.
Plugin
Software that adds extra features to WordPress, such as SEO tools, contact forms, or security systems.
Post
A piece of content published on your blog. Posts are listed in reverse order and can be grouped by category and tag.
Post type
Different kinds of content in WordPress, such as posts, pages, or custom types like testimonials and portfolios.
Q
Query loop
A block or code snippet that displays lists of posts dynamically — for example, the latest blog posts or news items.
R
Rank Math
A popular SEO plugin for WordPress that helps optimise titles, descriptions, and structured data.
Redirect
Sending visitors (and search engines) from one URL to another. Often used when URLs change or pages are deleted.
Revision
A saved version of a post that lets you revert to an earlier draft if needed.
REST API
A built-in feature that allows developers to connect WordPress with other apps or services using JSON data.
S
Security plugin
Software that protects your site from hackers, malware, and spam. Popular examples include Wordfence and iThemes Security.
Shortcode
A small piece of code inside square brackets that adds dynamic content, such as forms or galleries, without needing HTML.
Sidebar
A column on the side of a page that can hold widgets like recent posts, adverts, or search boxes.
Slug
The part of a URL that identifies a specific post or page. For example, in yourdomain.com/about, “about” is the slug.
SSL certificate
A digital certificate that encrypts data between your site and visitors, changing your URL from HTTP to HTTPS.
Staging site
A clone of your live site used for testing updates or new designs safely before publishing changes.
T
Tag
A label that helps organise blog posts by specific topics or details. Tags are more granular than categories.
Taxonomy
A system WordPress uses to classify content. Categories and tags are built-in taxonomies.
Template
A layout file used by your theme to display content. You can customise templates in block themes using the Site Editor.
Theme
The design framework that controls your site’s appearance — colours, fonts, layout, and style.
Thumbnail
A small version of an image, often used for featured images in blog listings.
Toolbar
The horizontal menu at the top of the WordPress admin area that provides quick links to edit pages or view your site.
U
Update
New versions of WordPress core, themes, or plugins that improve security and performance. Always back up before updating.
Upload
Adding media files, plugins, or themes from your computer to your WordPress site via the dashboard or FTP.
User roles
Permission levels assigned to people who can access your site — Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor, and Subscriber.
V
Version
The release number of WordPress, a theme, or plugin. Keeping software up to date ensures compatibility and security.
Viewport
The visible area of a web page on a user’s device. Responsive themes adjust content to fit different viewports.
W
Widget
A small block that adds content or functionality to sidebars, footers, or other widget areas.
WooCommerce
A popular plugin that turns a WordPress site into a full online shop with products, carts, and checkout pages.
WordPress core
The main set of files that make WordPress work. Plugins and themes extend its core functionality.
WP-CLI
The WordPress Command Line Interface — a tool for managing your site using text commands instead of the dashboard.
wp-config.php
An important file that contains your site’s database credentials and configuration settings.
X
XML-RPC
A protocol that allows remote access to your WordPress site for apps or publishing tools. It’s often disabled for security reasons.
Y
Yoast SEO
A well-known SEO plugin for WordPress that helps you optimise your titles, descriptions, and readability — though many prefer Rank Math today.
Z
Zero-day vulnerability
A newly discovered security flaw that hackers can exploit before developers release a fix. Keeping your site updated helps reduce risk.