According to a CDC report, over nine million adults vape regularly in the United States.
Vaping is the act of inhaling and exhaling vapor created by either a vaporizer or e-cigarette. If you’re new to vaping, the terminology might confuse you.
But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. In this guide for beginners, we have vaping explained. From A-Z, learn the vape terms you can expect to hear in the community.
A
Adapter: Connects two different threading types together. An adapter ensures a head with one thread type can connect to a body with a different type.
Advanced Personalized Vaporizer (APV): An advanced electronic cigarette. These e-cig devices may have removable and chargeable batteries. An APV has more features than a regular electronic cigarette.
Airflow Control: Also known as adjustable airflow, this is a way to adjust airflow intake on tanks. You can open or close the holes to alter the flavor strength and cloud size.
All Day Vape (ADV): An e-liquid flavor that can be vaped continuously (all day).
American Wire Gauge (AWG): A measurement used in the United States relating to resistance and diameter of the wire used in an atomizer.
Amps (Amperes): A measurement of electrical current. Amps are the measurement of energy as it moves through a circuit.
Analog: A term that refers to a traditional cigarette. Analog cigarettes are the opposite of “digital” or electronic cigarettes.
Atomizer: The coil that heats and vaporizes the e-liquid, creating vapor.
Automatic: An electronic cigarette or vaporizer that doesn’t have a button to turn on the heating element. These devices activate when a user inhales and turn off when they stop puffing.
B
Battery: The part of a device that powers the coil. Batteries are either external or internal.
Box Mod: Homemade or modded devices. Built with a battery and an atomizer and generally box-shaped.
Bridge: The section of an atomizer that moves e-liquid toward the heating coil.
C
Coil: Also known as a burner or atomizer, this is a coil-shaped wire that heats up the e-liquid and creates vapor.
Cloud Chasing: A vape user that strives to get the biggest clouds of vapor. Professional vape users sometimes take part in cloud chasing competitions.
D
Dripping: The act of dripping e-liquid directly on the atomizer coil.
Dry Hit: When a vape user inhales but there is no e-liquid to produce vapor. This results in an unpleasant burning sensation.
E
E-Cig: Short for an electronic cigarette, an e-cig refers to the device that allows users to inhale nicotine in a vapor form.
E-Liquid: Sometimes called e-juice, this is the liquid solution that contains the PG/VG ratio, nicotine, and flavorings.
F
Flavor Chaser: Someone that vapes for the flavors in e-liquids rather than the nicotine or the vapor clouds.
Flooding: An excess of e-liquid that floods the coil.
H
Hybrid: An atomizer connected directly to a battery, creating one whole unit. Hybrid devices have a harder and faster hit due to the direct connection.
J
Joules: A measurement of energy. In vaping terms, a joule is one amp passed through a resistance of one ohm per second. One watt is the same as one joule per second.
Juice: Another word for e-liquid or vape juice.
M
Mouth Hit: To inhale and hold the vapor in the mouth first before pulling the vapor into the lungs. Sometimes known as Mouth to Lung (MTL).
Mod: A mod refers to a vaporizer that has a removable battery. Mod or Modding can also refer to customizing a device.
MG: Stands for milligrams. This refers to the amount of nicotine in an e-juice. The most commons strengths are 0mg, 3mg, 6mg, 12mg, 18mg, and 24mg but the exact dosage may vary by brand.
mL: Stands for milliliters. The measurement used for e-juice.
N
Nichrome Wire: Wire created from a combination of nickel, chromium, and iron. Used to measure coil temperature.
Nicotine: An addictive substance in tobacco. E-liquids contain various levels of nicotine, including nicotine free.
O
Ohm: An ohm measures electrical resistance. The lower the resistance, the faster the coil heats.
P
PG/VG Ratio: PG stands for propylene glycol and VG stands for vegetable glycerin. These two liquids form the base of an e-liquid. The ratio affects the taste and size of your vape cloud.
Personal Vaporizer: Another name for an electronic cigarette. Also used to describe portable vaporizers.
Priming: Preparing a new coil by soaking the wicking in e-liquid before use. This makes sure the coil has enough juice and prevents a dry hit.
Protected Battery: This type of battery has a computer chip that breaks a circuit if the voltage is too high. This prevents dangerous malfunctions and fires.
R
Rebuildable Atomizer: An atomizer that a user can rebuild. Users can change the wicking system and the wire coil type. Not recommended for new vape users.
Resistance: Ohm measurement that helps you determine the amount of voltage to use. Resistance creates the heat in a coil.
S
Steeping: Allowing the e-liquid to sit and age. Helps improve the juice flavor.
T
Tank: The container where e-liquid is stored.
Throat Hit: The feeling a user gets when inhaling vapor into the throat. Can be intense or irritating. The more nicotine in an e-liquid, the greater the throat hit.
V
Vape Pen: A type of electronic cigarette about the size of a pen. Vape pens work with CBD oil and vape juice.
Vaping/Vapor: Using a vape or e-cig to produce vapor.
W
Wattage: The measurement of power needed to heat the coil and work the device.
Wick: The part of the device used to move e-liquid to the coil. Wicks can be cotton or made of other materials.
Z
Zero Nic: Vape juice that doesn’t have any nicotine.
Learn the Lingo with These Vape Terms
Learning this vape terminology takes time, but soon you’ll be speaking the language. Use this guide as a reference until you know these vape terms by heart.
And remember, there’s no need to feel intimidated. Know that you know the key terms, check out this guide on the beginner’s guide to using a CBD vape pen.