Twitch Lingo You Need to Know – 45+ Most Popular Terms

If you have ever found yourself in a Twitch stream for the first time or experienced the special language all Twitch streamers tend to use; then you definitely know how hard it can be to get used to it.

However, if you want to build a successful career on Twitch and create a particular channel people will love to watch, you will definitely have to learn some of the slang terms that are frequently used on it.

These are the most popular Twitch lingo you need to know and phrases you need to use and understand in order to be able to connect with other people on Twitch.

Most Popular Twitch Lingo You Need to Know

1. Affiliates

You must have heard about the term Twitch affiliate because getting that title is the ultimate goal of every Twitch streamer.

Affiliates are those who manage to monetize their channel, which is usually a result of having a large number of viewers and followers on their Twitch streams.

There are several different requirements and different levels of becoming an affiliate.

The first level is to have at least 500 streaming minutes in the last seven streams or to have 50 loyal followers.

When you manage to succeed at this, you will be able to build your own Twitch community, which will stay loyal to the channel, and you will get the opportunity to monetize all of your streams.

You can get to higher Affiliate levels by being invited by someone who is very popular on the platform, but in general, the only way to rise in the Affiliate sector is by becoming more and more popular.

2. Admins

Every Twitch stream and platform needs to have an admin or administrator who will make sure everyone in the Twitch chat is following the rules and terms of service.

When they see someone is not behaving accordingly, they will get the opportunity to kick them out from the stream or punish them for these actions.

Every Twitch admin has a yellow badge next to its name, so you should be able to recognize them easily on the platform.

3. Alert

Stream alerts are a pretty important part of the Twitch community experience, and they will certainly appear several times during your live stream.

They are usually animations or images that are made to spark interaction between viewers and streamers, and everyone can program the stream alerts that will appear on their channel.

You can create customized alerts or start using some of the Twitch favorites, whatever works best for you.

4. Bit

Twitch bits are a special currency that is available to all viewers who want to tip or donate to their favorite Twitch users.

The whole process can be finished without including a third-party app or website, and the bits can be purchased easily through Twitch.

Broadcasters usually earn one penny per one bit, but they need to get affiliated in order to start earning that money.

They can also be earned easily if you decide to watch ads and tutorials provided to you by Twitch.

5. Bot

A Twitch bot or a chatbot, or maybe even a feature like Nightbot, are used to enhance your chatting experience and provide you with more options that can make the community more interesting.

You can customize them the way you want and use them to give out information about your stream to your viewers, and you have complete freedom over the things you will broadcast through it.

They can also be used to control the course of the streaming process, and they are the best tool for all moderators and admins who want to keep everything in its order.

It can create interaction with other commands, block people, messages, or specific words.

6. Streamer

Streamer or broadcaster is a term for a person who uses Twitch to live to stream their gameplay, and this term is also used for people who stream on Youtube, Facebook, and other social media platforms.

The same term is used for people who stream from their computer, PlayStation, or even mobile device.

Even though in the beginning, video games were the only thing that was streamed on these platforms, the content is getting even more and more interesting these days, and Twitch users belong to different niches.

7. BTTV

BTTV is a third-party website made for broadcasting that allows you to add more Twitch emotes to a streamer’s channel, but they are only visible to other people who have BTTV installed too.

It is quite an useful software that has plenty of popular emotes, which is especially important for those who are using Twitch Turbo and Twitch prime.

8. Chat

There is a Twitch chat which is a special room made for all active users of the platforms, and it can be used for interaction throughout the live stream.

All of the messages you send in Twitch chat will be available for everyone to see, but you will need to create a legit Twitch account before you are eligible to send any sort of messages.

Some streamers tend to create chats that are made for followers only, but things like that don’t happen too often.

You are allowed to use simple text messages and Twitch emotes in the chat, but many streamers opt for installing BTTV emote that make their experience a bit more fun and are a great part of Twitch culture.

However, you are not really free to write whatever you want in the Twitch chat because everything is monitored by admins and moderators, and they can ban a chat client who is not acting according to terms and conditions.

9. Cheermote

Cheermote is a special animated emoticon that is used when a viewer cheers or applauds someone’s move or message during the Twitch stream.

Content creators on Twitch can upload their own original cheering emotes.

10. Capture Card

A capture card is a must for all people who decide to become a streamer because it provides them with original quality streams and videos and allows them to stream effortlessly.

It can make both the streaming and chat experience a lot more enjoyable, and your viewer base will find it better than those streams that are done without a capture card.

11. Chroma Key

Chroma Key is a green screen, but it can also be of many different colors.

It is used to replace your background, and it is a great asset for Twitch users whose environment is not that cool or interesting, and they want to avoid showing it during the live stream.

Most streamers tend to use this technology to hide their environment or just to put on another picture while they are talking or streaming.

12. Collab

Collaboration is a term used to signify that one or more streamers are working together – it can be that they have created a stream together, or maybe they have launched new Twitch emotes together.

This is usually done so they can grow each other’s channels and have much more success than they would as complete individuals.

13. Command

Commands are something you must learn how to handle if you want to become a popular streamer and create a community that will be enjoyable for everyone.

This way, not only you but also your viewers will be able to receive alerts, messages and keep track of different happenings on the network.

You will be able to see available commands on the broadcast in your channel, and the viewers will also see what the ones available to them in the specific Twitch chat are.

14. Cosplay

Cosplay means that you are dressing or accepting your favorite game hero or character, or even an object.

Many popular streamers opt for this, and they dress up as their favorite Marvel characters, which can be a really fun thing on streaming platforms like Twitch.

It is also the easiest way to gather the audience that is a part of one specific niche, so if you are aiming at something like this, definitely give it a try.

15. Discord

Discord is a very popular app that allows people to talk to each other in real-time, whether that be through messages or voice chats.

Twitch streamers love this, and it helps them connect with other partnered channels and comment on the game at the same time.

Everyone can create an individual server for themselves and their friends, and they can play games and talk to each other without any limits.

Each channel owner that believes he can grow a bigger community usually decides to come up with his own Discord servers and uses them to connect with his loyal audience.

16. Tips

Tips or donations are a way to make your favorite streamers earn some money for their work, and you can send them as much money as you wish through the official Twitch page.

However, be aware that the only ones that will be able to receive your donations are those who have an affiliate status.

17. Elgato

Elgato is a company that creates special equipment for streamers, and most Twitch staff is a big fan of their products.

They offer everything from lighting and green screens to capture cards and stream decks.

18. Follower

A follower is a person who is subscribed to someone’s channel and follows live channels because he or she enjoys consuming that kind of content.

A follower or a subscriber means that a user subscribes to your channel and has a whole list of followed channels that he opens every day and whose streams he religiously watches.

Followers are actually viewers, and they are the reason why streamers are able to earn that much money in the first place.

19. Founders Badge

A Founders badge is a special feature that will be given to the first 10 followers on affiliated channels and the first 25 followers on partnered channels.

However, in order to use them, all the viewers must be subscribed to the channel at the moment; otherwise, they will not get access to the verified badge.

20. FPS

FPS is short for First-person shooter, which is a special game genre where you are able to see the battlefield from the game character’s perspective.

21. GoXLR

GoXLR is a special sound mixer that is created for streamers, and it has plenty of voice effects, a sampler, a mute button, and more other useful features.

22. HUD

HUD is short for Head-up display, and those are actually overlays that are used by streamers who broadcast simultaneously from two different angles and need a solid background.

You can even customize them however you want, and people on Twitch prime frequently use them.

23. Kappa

Kappa is one of the most popular Twitch emotes that is actually a black and white picture of Josh DeSeno’s face. It also comes in the golden Kappa version.

24. Latency

Latency is the term used to define how much time will be taken for the data to transfer, and it measures how much it takes from the moment of actual filming to when it can be viewed.

All streamers want to have their latency as low as possible because it will provide their viewers with the best experience.

25. Level Up Program

Level Up program is the Facebook gaming program that is something quite similar to those affiliate programs.

It allows all streamers who become a part of it to monetize their channels and earn subscriptions and recognition on the platform.

26. Mod

Mod is short for moderator, and every channel should have someone in this position who will take care of the Twitch chat, ban suspicious users and make sure everyone is acting according to the Terms and conditions of the platform.

Every streamer can choose some of his loyal followers for this position, and that person will receive a green badge that will show everyone who they are.

27. Muxy

Muxy is a platform created for streamers that provides them with alerts, payment processing, different Twitch chatbots, global emotes, and other widgets.

It can even provide you with the oldest emotes that you can’t access through regular Twitch chat.

28. Marathon Stream

Marathon stream refers to people who are able to stream for hours without pausing the game, and it is usually used to bring more people to the channel and build your endurance in the game.

They are usually somewhere between 12 and 24 hours long, and only new streamers engage in this sort of activity because they know it will bring a lot of people to their platform.

Many of them are also used to bring awareness to a certain problem and are used to raise money for some foundations.

29. OBS

OBS is an Open broadcast software that is one of the most popular streaming software, especially among new streamers.

It is completely free for use, and it is very easy to navigate through it, so a new streamer will definitely choose this one over some older software.

30. Nightbot

Nightbot is a very popular chatbot that can provide you with several chat commands and allow you to link your other social media accounts easily.

It is a great feature both for streamers and for their viewers.

31. Overlay

Overlay is a graphic that you will use to hide some elements in your background or add some new pictures and graphics to it.

They are a nice way to brand yourself and become recognizable on the platform.

32. Partner

A Twitch partner is a streamer who has fulfilled all the requirements to get that title and is able to monetize his channel and add unique emotes and feature to it.

This is a higher level than becoming a Twitch affiliate, and they are able to earn much more money than them.

33. Patreon

Patreon is a third-party platform that allows all streamers to get financial support from other users through a subscription or a donation.

It is a very popular platform among Twitch users because it helps them to connect to a wider audience and earn much more money.

34. Prime

Twitch Prime is a completely optional feature, and it actually operates through Amazon.

It will provide users with a variety of global emotes, options to change the color of their name and chat, and many other perks.

35. Raid

Every streamer can raid his followers to another stream at the end of his own one, and this process is called Twitch raiding.

You are actually hosting someone’s channel and then entering it along with your loyal viewers.

This is the best way to give a boost to someone and help him grown his account according to Twitch terms, and it also makes it easier for them to reach affiliate status.

36. Squad Mode

Twitch Squad Mode is the option for streamers to broadcast at the same time on the same screen, and it was added to Twitch quite frequently.

37. Stars

Here we are referring to Facebook stars that are similar to Bits on Twitch because they are an on-platform currency, and they are a form of tipping your favorite streamer.

Every star is worth 0.01 USD and you choose who you will give it out to.

38. Stream Deck

Stream Deck is a special streaming device that gives you access to sound effects, features, scene changes, and many different things with just one simple button.

You can customize your own commands too, and this will work for different viewer types, making their experience on your channel unforgettable.

39. Streamlabs

Streamlabs is also a special platform that provides you with chatbots, global emote, and widgets for Twitch and similar streaming platforms.

40. SLOBS

SLOBS has the same founder as Streamlabs, and it allows you to interact with other streamers and create valuable friendships and sponsorships easily.

41. Stream Marker

Stream Marker is a marker you will add to your live stream, and this can only be done by a broadcaster or original creator of the channel.

It allows you to highlight some parts of your stream or add some inside jokes when the stream is done, so it is a really great tool for editing that can make your videos a lot more interesting.

42. Transcoding

Transcoding is a process that tends to occur on most streaming websites, and its main goal is to reduce the quality of your stream.

Since there are many viewers and devices who are not able to support the original high-quality stream, the transcoding process makes your videos available to everyone but in a bit smaller resolution.

It is usually done on a viewer-by-viewer basis, which means not everyone will be affected by it.

43. Turbo

Twitch Turbo is an alternative to the Twitch prime feature, and it allows you to stream and watches on Twitch completely free of ads, add some unique emotes and badges, and similar things.

44. Verified

When someone has a verified badge, it means that his channel is partnered with Twitch.

45. VOD

VOD is short for video on demand, and it actually refers to an old stream that is still available for watching on the platform.

Once you have finished streaming, you can save your video, rename it and even give it a special thumbnail so all of your followers can enjoy watching it.

However, most of your Twitch VODs will get deleted after 2 weeks, and those on partner channels will remain online for up to 60 days.

46. Visuals

Visuals are a design company that creates unique Twitch animations and graphics and has a lot of personalized avatars, emotes, and logos.

47. Whisper

A whisper refers to a private direct message that you will be able to send to your friends on Twitch, and it will stay only between the two of you.

When you send a whisper, you will see it in a special messaging box.

48. XSplit

XSplit is a professional broadcasting software that has a lot of extra features like VCam, and it really costs a lot, so it is usually the choice of professional streamers.

FAQ