Posting: post, thread, reply, quote
A post (formerly a tweet) is a message published on X, up to 280 characters without a subscription, that can include photos, GIFs or a video.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Post (tweet) | A message published on X, up to 280 characters, with photos, GIFs or video. Links always count as 23 characters and emojis as 2. |
| Long post | A post over 280 characters, up to 25,000, for subscribers from Basic up. In the timeline it folds behind “Show more”. |
| Thread | A series of connected posts from one person, each replying to the one before. |
| Reply | A post written in response to another post, shown under it in the conversation. |
| Quote | Reposting someone else’s post with your own comment added. |
| Repost (retweet) | Sharing someone else’s post as is with your followers. |
| Mention | A username preceded by @ in a post, which notifies that person. |
| Article | Long-form text with a title, cover and formatting (headings, lists, images), limited to Premium-level plans and organizations. See the X Articles guide. |
| Hashtag | A clickable word preceded by # that groups posts on a topic. It’s no longer the main way people discover posts: X mostly recommends by topic affinity. |
| Cashtag | A stock ticker preceded by $ (for example $TSLA), clickable like a hashtag. |
| Pinned post | A post you fix to the top of your profile: the first thing a visitor sees. |
| Poll | A post offering 2 to 4 answer choices, open for a duration you set. |
Post (tweet)
- Definition
- A message published on X, up to 280 characters, with photos, GIFs or video. Links always count as 23 characters and emojis as 2.
Long post
- Definition
- A post over 280 characters, up to 25,000, for subscribers from Basic up. In the timeline it folds behind “Show more”.
Thread
- Definition
- A series of connected posts from one person, each replying to the one before.
Reply
- Definition
- A post written in response to another post, shown under it in the conversation.
Quote
- Definition
- Reposting someone else’s post with your own comment added.
Repost (retweet)
- Definition
- Sharing someone else’s post as is with your followers.
Mention
- Definition
- A username preceded by @ in a post, which notifies that person.
Article
- Definition
- Long-form text with a title, cover and formatting (headings, lists, images), limited to Premium-level plans and organizations. See the X Articles guide.
Hashtag
- Definition
- A clickable word preceded by # that groups posts on a topic. It’s no longer the main way people discover posts: X mostly recommends by topic affinity.
Cashtag
- Definition
- A stock ticker preceded by $ (for example $TSLA), clickable like a hashtag.
Pinned post
- Definition
- A post you fix to the top of your profile: the first thing a visitor sees.
Poll
- Definition
- A post offering 2 to 4 answer choices, open for a duration you set.
Metrics: impressions, engagement, golden hour
Impressions count how many times a post was seen; engagements count what people did with it. Engagement rate divides one by the other.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Impressions | The number of times a post was shown to someone. |
| Engagements | Total interactions with a post: clicks, reposts, replies, follows, likes, link, hashtag, media and profile clicks, post expansions. |
| Engagement rate | Engagements divided by impressions. |
| Dwell | The time a reader spends on a post. X’s algorithm predicts its likelihood and gives it a small positive weight. |
| Golden hour (Hypepen term) | In Hypepen, the first hour of a post that’s doing better than usual: the moment when answering replies pays off most. Not an X term. |
Impressions
- Definition
- The number of times a post was shown to someone.
Engagements
- Definition
- Total interactions with a post: clicks, reposts, replies, follows, likes, link, hashtag, media and profile clicks, post expansions.
Engagement rate
- Definition
- Engagements divided by impressions.
Dwell
- Definition
- The time a reader spends on a post. X’s algorithm predicts its likelihood and gives it a small positive weight.
Golden hour (Hypepen term)
- Definition
- In Hypepen, the first hour of a post that’s doing better than usual: the moment when answering replies pays off most. Not an X term.
Likes barely count in the 2026 ranking (0.708, against 5 for a reply and 20 for copying the link). Impressions tell you how many people saw a post; engagement tells you whether it mattered. Details in X’s algorithm explained.
Timelines and the algorithm
For You is the timeline X’s algorithm recommends; Following shows only accounts you follow. Since January 2026, X publishes the ranking code.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| For You | The recommended timeline: posts from accounts you follow and accounts you don’t, picked from your interests. |
| Following | The timeline of accounts you follow only. Since November 2025 it’s also ranked by Grok, with a chronological view still available. |
| Recommendation algorithm | The system that picks and orders posts in For You. Its code has been public on GitHub since January 20, 2026. |
| Mutuals | Two accounts that follow each other. A reply between mutuals on an original post gets a ranking bonus. |
| “Not interested” | The button that tells X a post isn’t for you. One of the heaviest negative signals in ranking. |
| Mute | Hiding an account’s posts without blocking or notifying it. When predicted, it weighs heavily against the post. |
| Block | Stopping an account from following you, seeing your posts while logged in and interacting with you. |
For You
- Definition
- The recommended timeline: posts from accounts you follow and accounts you don’t, picked from your interests.
Following
- Definition
- The timeline of accounts you follow only. Since November 2025 it’s also ranked by Grok, with a chronological view still available.
Recommendation algorithm
- Definition
- The system that picks and orders posts in For You. Its code has been public on GitHub since January 20, 2026.
Mutuals
- Definition
- Two accounts that follow each other. A reply between mutuals on an original post gets a ranking bonus.
“Not interested”
- Definition
- The button that tells X a post isn’t for you. One of the heaviest negative signals in ranking.
Mute
- Definition
- Hiding an account’s posts without blocking or notifying it. When predicted, it weighs heavily against the post.
Block
- Definition
- Stopping an account from following you, seeing your posts while logged in and interacting with you.
Subscriptions, checkmarks and accounts
X Premium is X’s family of paid plans; in 2026 they sit inside The X Subscription. A blue checkmark signals an active subscription that meets X’s requirements.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| X Premium | X’s paid plans (Basic, Premium, Premium+) that unlock long posts, editing, bold and italics, and Articles at the higher levels. |
| The X Subscription | The 2026 bundle of X, Grok and other services, in Plus, Premium, Super and Ultra plans. |
| Blue checkmark | An active subscription that meets X’s eligibility requirements. |
| Gold checkmark | A verified organization, such as a company or brand. |
| Grey checkmark | A government, a multilateral organization or an elected official. |
| X Pro | The column-based interface (formerly TweetDeck) for following several timelines and scheduling posts, on a paid plan. |
| Automated account | An account run by a program, which must show the “Automated” label on its profile. |
X Premium
- Definition
- X’s paid plans (Basic, Premium, Premium+) that unlock long posts, editing, bold and italics, and Articles at the higher levels.
The X Subscription
- Definition
- The 2026 bundle of X, Grok and other services, in Plus, Premium, Super and Ultra plans.
Blue checkmark
- Definition
- An active subscription that meets X’s eligibility requirements.
Gold checkmark
- Definition
- A verified organization, such as a company or brand.
Grey checkmark
- Definition
- A government, a multilateral organization or an elected official.
X Pro
- Definition
- The column-based interface (formerly TweetDeck) for following several timelines and scheduling posts, on a paid plan.
Automated account
- Definition
- An account run by a program, which must show the “Automated” label on its profile.
Community features
Community Notes add context under a post when contributors who usually disagree rate the note as helpful.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Community Notes | Context notes written by contributors. A note shows once people from different points of view rate it helpful, and the algorithm that decides is public. |
| Lists | Groups of accounts you put together by topic or interest, readable as a separate timeline. |
| Bookmarks | Posts saved for later. They’re private: the author can’t see who bookmarked them. |
| Spaces | Live audio conversations, which can be recorded and replayed. |
| Communities | Topic-based discussion groups, shut down by X in May 2026 in favor of groups in XChat. |
Community Notes
- Definition
- Context notes written by contributors. A note shows once people from different points of view rate it helpful, and the algorithm that decides is public.
Lists
- Definition
- Groups of accounts you put together by topic or interest, readable as a separate timeline.
Bookmarks
- Definition
- Posts saved for later. They’re private: the author can’t see who bookmarked them.
Spaces
- Definition
- Live audio conversations, which can be recorded and replayed.
Communities
- Definition
- Topic-based discussion groups, shut down by X in May 2026 in favor of groups in XChat.
Where to go next
To put these words to work: the personal branding on X guide for strategy, scheduling tweets and threads for your workflow, and the X character counter to check a post before it goes out.
Frequently asked questions
Should I say tweet or post?
X has used “post” since 2023, and “repost” for retweet. “Tweet” is still understood by everyone and remains the word people search for most.
What’s the difference between a quote and a repost?
A repost shares the post as is; a quote shares it with your comment on top. In the 2026 ranking, a quote weighs five times more than a repost.
Does a blue checkmark mean the account is verified?
It means an active subscription that meets X’s requirements. Organizations get a gold checkmark, governments and officials a grey one.