HODL
HODL originated from a 2013 typo in a Bitcoin forum post and became a term for the strategy of holding bitcoin long-term rather than trading it.
On December 18, 2013, a Bitcoin forum user named GameKyuubi posted a message with the subject line "I AM HODLING." The word was a typo for "holding," left uncorrected in a now-famous post where the author explained why he was keeping his bitcoin despite a sharp price drop. The spelling mistake spread instantly across the community and stuck, turning a simple error into one of the most recognisable words in Bitcoin culture.
Over time, HODL came to describe a deliberate long-term holding strategy: buying bitcoin and keeping it through price swings, market downturns, and periods of uncertainty rather than trading in and out. The approach is often associated with conviction that bitcoin will retain or increase its value over a long time horizon. It stands in contrast to short-term trading, which attempts to profit from price movements. Many HODLers pair the strategy with dollar-cost averaging, building their position gradually over time.
The term later acquired the backronym "Hold On for Dear Life," though this was invented after the fact and was not the original intent. Regardless of the origin story, HODL has become a cultural shorthand in the Bitcoin community for patience, long-term thinking, and resistance to panic selling. It reflects a philosophy that timing the market is difficult and that consistent long-term holding has historically rewarded those who stayed the course.