New to all this? Start with these 22 words. Take your time; there's no test.
They're in a sensible order, so you can read from the top, or dip in wherever you like. You don't need to remember them all. Come back whenever you need to, or ask one of our volunteers.
The worldwide network that connects millions of computers, phones and other devices, so that they can share information. Think of it as a global postal system, but one where the letters arrive in seconds. It is what lets you send emails, watch videos, and visit websites. You get connected to it through your home broadband, Wi-Fi or mobile data.
↔️ What's the difference?
The internet is the worldwide network. The web is the websites you visit on it, and Wi-Fi is one way for your device to connect to it.
A wireless way to connect to the internet without plugging in a cable. At home, a box called a router sends out the signal, and your devices pick it up, rather like a radio. It's often free in cafés, libraries and shops, and using it doesn't use up your mobile data allowance. At home, you need the Wi-Fi name and password, which are often printed on the router. See also Router.
💡 Did you know?
Wi-Fi doesn't stand for anything. The popular idea that it means "Wireless Fidelity" is a myth, and it was a catchy name chosen for the technology.
⚠️ Be careful
Take care on public Wi-Fi in cafés and hotels. It's fine for browsing, but avoid online banking or shopping there, and use your mobile data for those instead.
↔️ What's the difference?
Wi-Fi connects you through a router to your broadband, whereas mobile data uses the phone network and counts towards your plan's allowance.
A mobile phone that can do far more than make calls. It takes photos, goes online, sends messages, plays music, shows maps and runs thousands of apps, all through a touchscreen. It's rather like a small computer that fits in your pocket. iPhones and Android phones are the two main kinds. You can still use it for calls and texts alone if that is all you want.
A programme on your phone, tablet or computer designed to do one particular job, such as checking the weather, sending messages or banking. Think of apps as tools in a toolbox, each with its own purpose. Most phone apps are downloaded from an app shop (the App Store on iPhones, the Google Play Store on Android), and you can delete any you don't use.
↔️ What's the difference?
An app is installed on your device and sits on its screen, whereas a website is opened through a browser. Many companies offer both, and either one will do the job.
The control panel for your device or an app, where you can change how it works. You might use it to make the text larger, change the ringtone, or connect to Wi-Fi. On a phone, look for an icon that looks like a cog. You can't break anything by looking around, and most changes can be changed back.
Touching the screen briefly with one finger and then lifting it off, like pressing a button. It's the main way of choosing things on a phone or tablet, such as opening an app or pressing Send. If nothing happens, try tapping a little more firmly or in the middle of the button. Tapping twice quickly is called a double tap.
Sliding your finger across the screen in one direction without lifting it, rather like wiping across a table. You swipe to move between pages, to scroll through photos, or to dismiss a notification. A swipe is different from a tap, which is a quick touch, and from a long press, which is touching and holding. See also Gesture.
Moving up and down a page to see more of it, like unrolling a long scroll of paper. On a computer, you can use the mouse wheel or the bar on the right of the window, and on a phone, you swipe your finger up or down the screen. When you scroll through social media, new posts keep appearing, so time can slip by without you noticing.
Pressing a mouse button once (click), twice in quick succession (double-click), or using the right-hand button (right-click). A single click usually selects something, a double-click opens it, and a right-click shows a menu of extra options. On a laptop's touchpad it works the same way, with a two-finger tap acting as a right-click.
The programme you use to look at websites. Chrome, Safari, Edge and Firefox are all browsers. Think of it as the window you look through to see the internet, rather than the internet itself. Your computer and phone already come with one, and you can use whichever you like best.
↔️ What's the difference?
The browser is the programme you use to visit websites, whereas a search engine is a website you use inside it to find things.
A website that helps you find things online, a bit like a librarian who knows where everything is. You type in a few words, and it gives you a list of pages that may help. Google is the most widely used, and others include Bing and DuckDuckGo. Results at the top marked "Ad" or "Sponsored" are adverts, so look carefully before clicking.
A collection of connected pages on the internet that belongs to one organisation or person, like a book with many pages. You get to a website by typing its address, which often begins with www, into your browser, or by searching for it. Examples are the BBC and the NHS. See also URL and Search Engine.
↔️ What's the difference?
A website is opened in your browser, whereas an app is installed on your device. Many shops and banks offer both, and you only need to use whichever you find more comfortable.
Electronic mail: messages sent over the internet that arrive in seconds and are free to send and receive. You need an email address, such as name@gmail.com, and can attach photos and documents. It's the digital version of sending a letter, without the stamp or the wait for the postman. You can read it on a phone, tablet or computer.
💡 Did you know?
The first email was sent in 1971 by an American programmer, Ray Tomlinson, who also chose to use the @ symbol in email addresses.
⚠️ Be careful
Your bank will never ask for your password or full PIN by email, however official the message looks.
Your own personal space on a website or app, set up with an email address and a password. It's like a library membership card or your own locker: it's uniquely yours, and it lets the service remember who you are and what you've saved or bought. You usually only create an account once; after that you "log in" to use it.
⚠️ Be careful
Use a different password for each important account, such as your email and your bank, so that a problem with one doesn't spread to the others.
The name you use to log in to an account, often your email address. Together with your password, it proves who you are. Unlike your password, a username is not a secret, but keep a note of it, because you will often need it to get back into an account. See also Password.
A secret word, phrase or set of characters that proves you are you, and keeps your accounts private. It is like the key to a locked door. Your most important passwords, such as for your email and banking, deserve to be strong and different from each other. A good tip is to join three random words together, such as "BlueTeapotGarden".
💡 Did you know?
"123456" and "password" turn up among the most commonly used passwords year after year, which is exactly why they are among the first that criminals try.
⚠️ Be careful
A password written in a notebook that you keep safely at home is better than using the same password everywhere. Don't keep it on a sticky note on your computer.
Entering your details, usually a username or email address and a password, to get into an account (log in), or leaving it when you've finished (log out). It's like unlocking the front door when you arrive and locking it again when you leave. Logging out matters most on shared or public computers, so the next person can't see your things.
Copying something from the internet onto your device, like bringing a purchase home from a shop. It might be an app, a photo, a form or a document. Downloaded files usually go into a folder called Downloads, so if you can't find something you've saved, look there. Only download from places you trust, such as official app shops and genuine websites.
⚠️ Be careful
Only download files and apps from places you trust, and look in your Downloads folder afterwards if you aren't sure where something has gone.
↔️ What's the difference?
Download means copying something from the internet onto your device, and upload is the other way round, sending something from your device to the internet. Attaching a photo to an email is an upload.
Installing the latest version of an app or operating system, which fixes problems, improves security and sometimes adds new features. It's a bit like a car service. Updates often happen automatically overnight when your device is on Wi-Fi and charging. If you are asked to update, it is generally a good idea, but make sure the request really comes from your device and not from a pop-up on a website.
A copy of your files, photos or other information, stored somewhere separate from your device, so nothing is lost if the device is lost, dropped or stops working. Think of it as a spare key kept at a neighbour's house. Many phones back up automatically to the cloud (iCloud on iPhones, Google on Android) once it's switched on, and it's worth checking that it is.
⚠️ Be careful
Check now and then that your backup is really working, for example by opening a photo from it. A backup you've never tested may not help when you need it.
↔️ What's the difference?
Syncing keeps your devices matching, so deleting a photo on one deletes it everywhere. A backup is a separate copy that stays safe even if you delete the original.
A dishonest attempt to trick you out of money, personal details or access to your accounts. It might come by phone, email, text, post, or in person on the doorstep. Scammers often make things seem urgent to stop you thinking. If something feels wrong, stop, take your time and talk to someone you trust. See also Phishing.
Scam emails, texts or messages that pretend to be from a genuine organisation, such as your bank or the post office, to trick you into giving away personal details or money. The word comes from criminals "fishing" for your details. Warning signs include a sense of urgency, odd spelling and links you weren't expecting. If in doubt, don't click, and contact the organisation using a number you already trust. See also Smishing, Vishing and Quishing.
💡 Did you know?
The word is a play on "fishing", as criminals cast out bait and wait to see who bites. The "ph" spelling is thought to come from "phreaking", an old name for hacking phone systems.
↔️ What's the difference?
Spam is unwanted email that is annoying, whereas phishing is a message that tries to trick you into handing over details or money. Spam is a nuisance, but phishing can cost you.
Well done for getting this far. When you're ready, there are hundreds more words in the full glossary.
