Lost in all the words, terms and phrases? Don’t know if you are a muggle, why it’s prestigious to be FTF or that a cachebomb isn’t dangerous? The following list will help you navigate the geocaching jungle. Use it to look things up whenever you stumble upon something you don’t know the meaning of.

1/1 – Difficulty/terrain. The first number indicates how hard a cache is, the second how challenging the terrain on the way to it is. 1 is the easiest, 5 is hardest, and the numbers can be given in 0.5-segments.

ALR – Additional Logging Requirements. Some caches demand an extra task to be completed in order to be logged. For example, it could be taking a photo of the location. However, caches with such additional requirements are normally no longer accepted.

Archive. Closing a cache for good, removing it from the searches and the map on geocaching.com. Normally done when a cache is broken or has disappeared and the owner doesn’t want to replace it. See also “Temporary Disable”.

Attributes. Icons shown on a cache page representing various qualities of that cache, such as hiking distances, wheelchair accessibility and if there are public restrooms nearby.

Bookmark. A feature available to paying members. Add caches to lists. See also “Bookmark list”.

Bookmark List. A list of caches under a specific headline or topic, for example “my favorite caches”. See also “Bookmark”.

Breeder Cache. A cache with the additional requirement of placing your own cache in order to log it. The purpose is to increase the number of caches. Criticism has been aimed towards breeder caches due to the low quality of caches they usually generate. See also “Seed cache”.

Bug. See “Travel Bug”.

BYOP – Bring Your Own Pen. An abbreviation letting visitors know that the cache doesn’t include a pen – you have to bring one yourself!

Cache. A shorter version of the word “geocache”. See also “Geocache”.

Cache Bomb. A large number of caches placed at the same time, in a relatively small area. When the caches are published you can see an “explosion” on the map. See also “Power Trail”.

Cacher. A person involved in geocaching. See also “Geocacher”.

Cache page. The webpage of a specific cache. This is where the information, coordinates, hints and previous logs of the cache are found.

CITO – Cache In Trash Out. An initiative that involves geocachers picking up trash while caching, keeping nature and the earth clean. CITO can be performed on your own while geocaching, or as an event where several geocachers go together to do a community service.

FTF – First To Find. Written to indicate that a person was the first to find a cache, which is considered prestigious.

Geocacher. A person active within geocaching, as opposed to a “muggle”.

Geocache. A box or container with a logsheet, usually a pen and possibly some trading items in it. The core of geocaching, though they exist in many types and variations.

Geocaching. The hobby of finding hidden boxes using a GPS.

Geocoin. Specially designed coins with the goal to move from cache to cache. The coins have unique codes printed on them, allowing cachers to register and track them online.

GPS – Global Positioning System. Satellites work together with a GPS-receiver to determine your exact location on earth. See also “GPSr”.

GPSr – GPS-receiver. The device used to determine your location using satellites. The thing you hold in your hands.

Muggle. A term borrowed from J.K. Rowlings books about Harry Potter. A person who is not aware of geocaching or what it is. Geocachers try to avoid muggles as the hiding place of a cache might otherwise be at risk of being exposed and in the worst case destroyed.

Pocket Query. The opportunity to sort caches and download the coordinates of many caches at once within a specific area, for example a city. This is only available to paying members and great when wanting to load many caches to a GPS.

Power Trail. A large number of caches placed in a row/on a trail meant to be followed in order with the purpose of logging many caches in a short period of time. See also “Cache Bomb”.

Reviewer. A volunteer who checks and approves new caches online, prior to publishing them.

Seed cache. See “Breeder cache”.

SWAG – Stuff We All Get. A slang term for the tradeable items left in geocaches. Often, the SWAG consists of cheap plastic items, but it can also be a matter of more valuable objects.

Temporary Disable. To temporarily “close” a cache. This can be done by the owner when the cache has been damaged, disappeared or for any other reason needs looking after. The cache is reactivated when the problem has been fixed. See also “Archive”.

TFTC – Thanks For The Cache. A short and simple “thank you”-message often written online when logging a cache.

TNLN – Took Nothing Left Nothing. Written to indicate that, when finding the cache, the geocacher took nothing out of and put nothing into the cache.

Travel Bug. Short: TB. A tag attached to an object. The tag has a unique code allowing it to be tracked online. When a cacher moves a TB, she registers this on the website. The object can be a toy, something personal or anything suitable to fit in a cache. See also “Geocoin”.

Watch List. A list of geocaches, Travel Bugs or geocoins for which you receive an e-mail whenever they are logged. They are on your “watch list”. The purpose is to follow their development. As the owner of a cache, a TB or a coin, you are already registered to receive those e-mails without having to add them to your Watch List manually.

Is this list incomplete?