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Modernize vocabulary glossary to reflect Bitcoin in 2026#4688

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devdavidejesus:vocabulary-modernization-2026
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Modernize vocabulary glossary to reflect Bitcoin in 2026#4688
devdavidejesus wants to merge 1 commit intobitcoin-dot-org:masterfrom
devdavidejesus:vocabulary-modernization-2026

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Closes #4687

Summary

The current glossary contains four definitions with factually outdated content and is missing several foundational terms central to using Bitcoin in 2026.

This PR:

  1. Fixes 4 outdated or imprecise definitions (hashrate, privatekey, address, confirmation).
  2. Updates mining to internally link to the new halving term.
  3. Adds 9 new terms widely used in Bitcoin discussion: satoshi, node, seedphrase, utxo, fee, halving, segwit, taproot, lightning.
  4. Reorders entries pedagogically (concrete units → wallet → network → ledger → protocol upgrades).

All new wording follows the tone and length of existing entries: short, neutral, descriptive. Definitions describe what is widely accepted in 2026 without promoting any specific implementation, vendor, or position.

Per docs/assisting-with-translations.md, only en.yml is modified in this PR; translations to the other 30 languages are handled via Transifex by native-speaker translators after the English source is updated.


Part A — Factual corrections

A1. hashratetxt

Before:

...When the network reached a hash rate of 10 Th/s, it meant it could make 10 trillion calculations per second.

After:

...The global hash rate is commonly expressed in terahashes (Th/s), petahashes (Ph/s), or exahashes (Eh/s) per second — meaning trillions, quadrillions, or quintillions of calculations per second.

Why: The "10 Th/s" example reflects the network's scale around 2011. As of April 2026, the global hash rate is approximately 935 EH/s. The rewritten definition uses SI units so it remains accurate as the network grows.


A2. privatekeytxt

Before:

...Your private key(s) are stored in your computer if you use a software wallet; they are stored on some remote servers if you use a web wallet...

After:

...Private keys can be stored on a personal computer (software wallet), on a dedicated device (hardware wallet), or backed up as a recovery phrase...

Why: The original lists only software wallets and web wallets, omitting hardware wallets (mainstream since ~2014) and recovery phrases (BIP-39, 2013). The updated text describes the three main storage methods used today, in neutral language.


A3. addresstxt

Before:

...each address should only be used for a single transaction.

After:

...for privacy reasons, an address should ideally be used only once to receive funds.

Why: "Each address should only be used for a single transaction" is technically inaccurate — there is no protocol restriction preventing an address from receiving multiple payments. The actual recommendation is a privacy best practice for receiving funds, already worded correctly on /en/protect-your-privacy.


A4. confirmationtxt

Before:

...for larger amounts like $1000 USD, it makes sense to wait for 6 confirmations or more.

After:

...for higher value transactions, it makes sense to wait for 6 confirmations or more.

Why: "$1000 USD" was meaningful when 1 BTC was worth less than $1,000. As of April 2026, 1 BTC ≈ $69,000 USD. The 6-confirmations heuristic itself remains valid; only the dated USD example is removed.


Part B — New terms (9 additions)

  • Satoshi: The smallest unit of bitcoin (1 BTC = 100,000,000 satoshis).
  • Node: Any computer that connects to the Bitcoin network; full nodes verify all rules independently.
  • Recovery Phrase: A sequence of words from which a wallet can be fully restored.
  • UTXO: Unspent Transaction Output, the accounting model used by Bitcoin.
  • Transaction Fee: Bitcoin paid by senders to incentivize miner inclusion.
  • Halving: Scheduled reduction of the block subsidy every 210,000 blocks.
  • SegWit: 2017 protocol upgrade separating signature data from transaction data.
  • Taproot: 2021 protocol upgrade introducing Schnorr signatures.
  • Lightning Network: Second-layer payment protocol built on top of Bitcoin.

Note: SegWit and the Lightning Network are already referenced on the wallet wizard page (wizard-feature-segwit, wizard-feature-lightning); this PR formalizes their definitions in the glossary.


Part C — Pedagogical reorder

The voc: array in _templates/vocabulary.html was reordered from near-alphabetical to pedagogical: concrete units → wallets → network → ledger → protocol upgrades.


Diff size

+51 / −15 lines across 2 files.

Updates the en.yml glossary entries to fix outdated content and adds
nine missing core terms. Reorders entries pedagogically.

Corrections:
- hashrate: replace "10 Th/s" (a 2011-era figure) with SI scale wording
- privatekey: include hardware wallets and recovery phrase as storage
  options; remove "remote servers" framing
- address: clarify that single-use is a privacy practice, not a
  protocol restriction (aligns with /en/protect-your-privacy)
- confirmation: remove dated "$1000 USD" threshold

Updates:
- mining: link to the new halving entry

New terms:
- satoshi, node, seedphrase, utxo, fee, halving, segwit, taproot,
  lightning (with corresponding anchors in anchor.vocabulary)

Per docs/assisting-with-translations.md, only en.yml is modified;
translations to the other 30 languages are handled via Transifex.
@devdavidejesus devdavidejesus force-pushed the vocabulary-modernization-2026 branch from 10cbb18 to ccb9f30 Compare April 26, 2026 05:36
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Force-pushed a fix for the html-proofer failures: removed cross-reference internal links from the newly added term definitions (satoshi, seedphrase, utxo, lightning, mining, segwit) that pointed to anchors which only exist in en.yml so far. On translated pages, those links resolved to English anchors (#block-chain, #wallet) that don't exist in the localized markup (which uses translated anchors like #cadena-de-blocs). The term definitions remain educational without internal cross-links until translations are added via Transifex.

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Vocabulary glossary contains outdated examples and is missing core modern terms

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