Vaping glossary

Our vaping glossary of commonly used terms will help you navigate this rapidly developing category

Atomiser 

The heater coil that warms the e-liquid and turns it into vapour. 

Battery

The power source. This is either activated by pressing a button or inhaling, depending on the device. 

Cartomiser

A combination of atomiser and cartridge, which is part of a single-use vaping device. 

CBD

Cannabidiol. One of the 113 cannabinoids derived from the cannabis plant. It provides the relaxation of cannabis, without the high, which comes from THC.

Find out more: What is CBD 

Charging port

Most devices can be charged with a micro USB cable. 

Cigalike

E-cigarettes that look similar to a traditional cigarette.

Clearomiser

These contain an atomiser and a cartridge. It has a clear tank and heating coil, and can be reused. 

Closed tank system

A vaping device that uses closed e-liquid flavour pods.

Clouds

Vapour that is exhaled. 

Coil

A wire heated by the battery. E-liquid is turned into vapour by this part of the device. 

Disposable

A device that can only be used once. 

Flooding

What happens when you overfill the atomiser with e-liquid. It results in a wet, gurgling noise when used. 

Leaking

When e-liquid seeps out of the device. 

mAh

Milliampere hour. Commonly used to measure the capacity of a battery. The more mAh, the longer it lasts. 

Mg strength

The amount of nicotine in an e-liquid per millilitre. The maximum strength legal in the UK is 20mg/ml. 

Mouthpiece

The part of the device that the user inhales through. 

Nic salts

An e-liquid that contains the same form of nicotine found in tobacco. It enters the bloodstream quicker and offers a comparable experience to smoking. 

Nicotine shot

A flavourless bottle of nicotine that can be added to short fills. 

NRT

Nicotine replacement therapy. A controlled way of reducing tobacco consumption over time. 

Ohm

Unit of electrical resistance. The lower the ohm, the faster coils heat up and produce more vapour.

Open system

A device that enables consumers to mix in their own e-liquids. 

PG liquid

Propylene glycol. The higher this number, the bigger the ‘throat hit’. 

Pod

A flavour capsule that is built for convenience. 

Short fill

Nicotine-free e-liquid that can be used with open systems. 

Sub-ohm

Vaping with a sub-ohm device increases the amount of flavour produced. Sub-ohm levels are marked as less than one ohm. 

Tank

The part of the device that holds the e-liquid. 

Throat hit

The feeling when vapour hits a user’s throat. Often used to describe the experience to traditional cigarettes. 

VG liquid

Vegetable glycerin. The higher this number, the more ‘cloud’ produced by the liquid. 

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