# What does OP mean on Reddit?

Canonical: https://postmesh.app/glossary/op

By PostMesh team. Published 2026-10-31; updated 2026-10-31.

OP stands for Original poster. On Reddit and other forums, OP stands for original poster: the person who made the post everyone is commenting on. Reddit marks them with an OP label or a mic icon next to their username. In gaming, OP usually means overpowered instead.

## What OP means on Reddit

OP is short for original poster. On [Reddit](/platform/reddit), that's the person who created the post you're reading, whether it's a question, a photo, a story or a link. Reddit's help center lists OP among the site's common expressions and defines it in exactly those terms: the person that created the post.

Commenters use it the way you'd use a name. "OP, did you ever fix it?" is a question for the person who started the thread. "OP is right" means the post's author has a point. "Not OP, but" is a polite way to answer a question that was aimed at the author when you're someone else. Because Reddit usernames are often long or odd, OP is simply quicker and clearer.

OP is about one post at a time. You're OP on the posts you make and an ordinary commenter everywhere else. If you start a thread in the morning and comment on someone else's thread in the afternoon, you're OP in one and not the other. You'll also see people use OP a little loosely for the post itself, as in "read the OP again", which means go back to the top and reread what the author wrote.

## How to tell who OP is in a thread

You don't have to scroll back to the top to check. Reddit's help center says the original poster gets OP or a mic icon next to their username in the comments. Moderators and Reddit's own staff get markers too, so a busy thread can carry three different labels.

**OP**
- The person who made the post
- Shown as OP or a mic icon
- Changes from post to post

**MOD**
- A volunteer who helps run the subreddit
- Shown as MOD or a shield icon
- Applies across that community

**ADMIN**
- A Reddit employee handling sitewide issues
- Shown as ADMIN or a Snoo icon
- Applies across all of Reddit

*From Reddit Help: How can I tell who's a moderator, Reddit administrator, or the original poster on a comment thread?*

The label matters most in long threads. When OP replies deep in the comments with an update or a correction, the marker tells you it's the author speaking and not a stranger guessing. In [AMA](/glossary/ama) threads, where one person is answering hundreds of questions, Reddit adds an Answered tab that filters the thread to comments OP or a co-host has replied to.

## Where OP comes from

OP is older than Reddit. [Dictionary.com](https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/op/) describes it as forum and message board shorthand for the person who started the thread that everyone else comments on. Reddit inherited the term along with a lot of other forum vocabulary, and today lists it in its own guide to expressions newcomers will run into.

We couldn't find a source that dates the first use of OP in the original poster sense, so the exact origin isn't well documented. What's clear is that the word has been part of thread culture for a long time, and that Reddit's help pages now use it as an official term. Reddit's AMA guide, for example, refers to the person who makes the post as OP and builds its scheduling and co-host features around that role.

## How people use OP on Reddit and beyond

On Reddit, OP turns up in nearly every busy thread. Commenters address the author directly, ask for updates on unresolved stories, defend or criticize the author's choices, and tag their own replies as coming from the author. Outside Reddit you'll find the same use on other forums, in Discord servers and in reply threads on X and Threads, where it still means whoever started the conversation.

- Question for the author: "OP, what brand of boots are these?"
- Asking for an update: "OP please come back and tell us what the landlord said"
- Answering for someone else: "Not OP, but I had the same error and clearing the cache fixed it"
- Agreeing with the post: "OP is completely right about this"
- The author's own update: "Edit: OP here, the cat came home this morning"
- Pointing back to the post: "That's not what OP asked"
- In a game chat, a different OP: "this new sword is so OP, they'll nerf it next patch"

> If you're OP and you change your post after people have replied, say what you changed. Reddit's community guidelines, the Reddiquette, suggest a short note like "Edit: spelling", and add that edited posts get an asterisk after the timestamp once three minutes have passed. Titles are different: they can't be edited after you submit, so check yours before you post.

## What OP means in gaming and other places

Outside a thread, OP often means something else entirely. Dictionary.com notes that in video games, anime and sports, OP is shorthand for overpowered: a character, weapon or player so strong it feels unfair. "That build is OP" is a complaint, or a boast, about game balance.

Dictionaries list a few older senses as well. Merriam-Webster gives op as informal for an operation, as in military ops or, in British English, a medical operation, and lists OP as an abbreviation for observation post and out of print. You'll rarely confuse these with the Reddit meaning, but it helps to know they exist when you see OP in a news headline or on a bookseller's listing.

**Where did you see OP?**
- In a Reddit thread or forum → Original poster: the person who made the post.
- In a game chat or anime discussion → Overpowered: a character, item or player that's too strong.
- In military or medical talk → Operation, as in ops or a surgical op.
- On a book or record listing → Out of print.

| Term | Means | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| OP | Original poster | OP, can you post a photo of the label? |
| OP (gaming) | Overpowered | That character is way too OP |
| Opp | An opponent or enemy, in slang | Don't trust him, he's an opp |
| Mod | A volunteer who helps run a community | Ask the mods if this is allowed |

Don't mix up OP with [opp](/glossary/opp). Opp is slang for an opponent or someone working against you, and it has nothing to do with who started a thread.

## How to reply to OP, and how to be a good OP

When you're replying to the author, you can just start with "OP," and get to your point. It's normal and not rude. If your question is for another commenter, reply to their comment instead, so the thread stays readable. If you're answering something OP asked someone else, "Not OP, but" makes it clear who's talking.

When you're OP, the best thing you can do is stick around. Answer follow-up questions, add the details people ask for, and post an update if your story has an ending. Edit the post itself for important corrections so latecomers see them first. And remember that votes in your thread are about what you wrote. Reddit's Reddiquette asks people to vote on content, not on who posted it, and to upvote what adds to the conversation, which is how [upvotes](/glossary/upvote) are meant to work.

Before you become OP in a new [subreddit](/glossary/subreddit), read its rules in the sidebar. Many communities require a [flair](/glossary/reddit-flair) on every post, limit what types of posts you can make, or filter new accounts. Our guide to [Reddit karma requirements](/blog/reddit-karma-requirements) explains the thresholds some communities use.

## When not to use OP

OP works best where everyone knows what a thread is. In a work chat, an email or a LinkedIn comment, use the person's name instead. "As OP said" in a meeting summary will confuse people who don't spend time on forums, and it can read as a little cold when the person is right there.

Watch the ambiguity, too. In a chat where some people game and some don't, "that's OP" can mean two completely different things, and the reader has to guess. If there's any doubt, spell it out once: original poster, or overpowered. The extra two words save a round of clarifying replies.

Finally, OP is a role, not an insult or a badge. Calling someone OP doesn't mean they're wrong, right, famous or in charge. It only means they started the conversation. If you're writing a Reddit reply and want a starting point, the [Reddit comment generator](/tools/reddit-comment-generator) can draft one you then make your own.

## Questions

### Is OP the person or the post?

Mainly the person who made the post. Some people also say "the OP" for the opening post itself, but Reddit's own definition is the person who created it.

### How do I know if a comment is from OP?

Look next to the username. Reddit shows OP or a mic icon for the original poster, MOD or a shield for moderators, and ADMIN or a Snoo icon for Reddit staff.

### What does "not OP" mean?

It means the commenter isn't the person who made the post but is answering anyway, usually because they know the answer to a question someone asked the author.

### What does OP mean in games?

Overpowered. It describes a character, item or player so strong it feels unbalanced or unfair.

### Is calling someone OP rude?

No. On Reddit it's a neutral label for whoever started the thread, used the way you'd use a name.

### What is the difference between OP and opp?

OP means original poster, or overpowered in gaming. Opp is slang for an opponent or enemy, so the two aren't related.

## Related terms

- [AMA](https://postmesh.app/glossary/ama)

- [Subreddit](https://postmesh.app/glossary/subreddit)

- [Upvote](https://postmesh.app/glossary/upvote)

- [Flair](https://postmesh.app/glossary/reddit-flair)

- [Opp](https://postmesh.app/glossary/opp)

- [DM](https://postmesh.app/glossary/dm)

## Sources

- [Reddit Help: What do these expressions mean?](https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205313845-What-do-these-expressions-mean)

- [Reddit Help: How can I tell who's a moderator, Reddit administrator, or the original poster on a comment thread?](https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360043478311-How-can-I-tell-who-s-a-moderator-Reddit-administrator-or-the-original-poster-on-a-comment-thread)

- [Reddit Help: What is an AMA and how do I host one?](https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002427523-What-is-an-AMA-and-how-do-I-host-one)

- [Reddit Help: Reddiquette](https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205926439-Reddiquette)

- [Dictionary.com: OP (Wayback Machine copy, November 2025)](https://web.archive.org/web/20251116215226/https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/op/)

- [Merriam-Webster: op (Wayback Machine copy, May 2026)](https://web.archive.org/web/20260531065717/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/op)