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YouTube blocked words list shield protecting against spam

What Are YouTube Blocked Words?

YouTube blocked words are phrases and terms that you can add to your channel's automated filters. When a viewer posts a comment containing any of your blocked words, YouTube automatically holds that comment for review instead of publishing it immediately. Blocked words are case-insensitive and work as substring matches, so adding "scam" will also catch "SCAM", "Scammer", and "scamming". This gives you control over what appears in your comment sections without needing to manually monitor every video.

Blocked words are one of YouTube's built-in moderation tools, available to all creators at no cost. They work across all your videos and live streams, catching spam, scams, hate speech, and other unwanted content before your audience sees it. Learn more about YouTube's moderation options in their official comment settings guide.

How to Add Blocked Words in YouTube Studio

  1. Open YouTube Studio (YouTube Help)
  2. Click Settings in the left sidebar
  3. Go to Community → Automated Filters
  4. Find the Blocked words text box
  5. Paste your comma-separated list from the tool above (YouTube allows up to 50,000 characters in the blocked words field)
  6. Click Save

Comments matching blocked words will be held for review in the Comments → Held for review tab in YouTube Studio.

spam filter funnel blocking unwanted YouTube comments

Types of Comment Spam on YouTube

Impersonation & Scams

Scammers impersonate creators, brands, or support teams to trick viewers into sharing personal information. They often redirect victims to WhatsApp, Telegram, or fake websites. YouTube considers this a violation of their spam & deceptive practices policy.

Crypto & Investment Scams

Fake investment opportunities promising guaranteed returns, crypto giveaways, and trading platform promotions are among the most common spam on YouTube today.

Sexual Content & Adult Spam

Bot accounts promoting adult content, dating sites, and explicit material flood YouTube comment sections to drive traffic to external platforms.

Spam & Self-Promotion

Sub4sub requests, channel promotion, and subscribe begging clutter your comments and provide no value to your community or existing audience.

Phishing & Link Abuse

Shortened URLs, fake download links, and phishing pages designed to steal credentials or install malware on your viewers' devices.

Bot & Automated Spam

Automated accounts posting repetitive phrases, engagement bait, and generic comments that add no value to the conversation on your videos.

best practices checklist for YouTube blocked words

Best Practices for Your Blocked Words List

  • Start conservative: Begin with high-severity categories (scams, phishing, hate speech) and expand as needed.
  • Review held comments regularly: Check your "Held for review" tab to catch false positives and release legitimate comments.
  • Avoid blocking common words: Blocking short or common words like "free" or "click" alone will catch too many legitimate comments.
  • Use phrases over single words: Multi-word phrases are more precise and cause fewer false positives than individual words.
  • Update regularly: Spammers evolve their tactics. Review and update your blocked words list every few months.
  • Combine with other tools: Blocked words work best alongside YouTube's other moderation features and third-party tools like CommentShark.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Over-blocking: Adding too many generic terms will suppress legitimate engagement and frustrate your viewers.
  • Never updating: A blocked words list from a year ago won't catch today's spam patterns. Spammers constantly change their tactics.
  • Ignoring held comments: If you never review held comments, genuine viewers might think their comments are being deleted.
  • Blocking all profanity: Some communities thrive on casual language. Only block profanity if it aligns with your channel's tone.
  • Relying solely on blocked words: Blocked words are reactive. For proactive, AI-powered moderation, consider automated tools that understand context.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do YouTube blocked words work?
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When you add blocked words to your YouTube channel settings, any comment containing those words or phrases is automatically held for review instead of being published. You can then approve or reject held comments from your YouTube Studio dashboard. Blocked words apply across all your videos and live streams.
Where do I add blocked words in YouTube Studio?
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Go to YouTube Studio → Settings → Community → Automated Filters. You'll find a Blocked words text box where you can paste a comma-separated list of words and phrases. Click Save when done.
How many blocked words should I have?
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YouTube allows up to 50,000 characters in the blocked words field, which typically accommodates several hundred phrases. Start with the high-severity categories (scams, phishing, hate speech) and add more as needed. Quality matters more than quantity—well-chosen phrases catch more spam than a massive list of single words.
Should I block profanity on my YouTube channel?
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It depends on your channel's audience and tone. Family-friendly channels benefit from profanity filters, while channels with mature audiences may find it overly restrictive. Our tool includes a profanity category that's off by default, letting you decide based on your community standards.
How often should I update my blocked words list?
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Review and update your list every 2-3 months. Spammers regularly change their tactics, using new phrases, Unicode characters, and creative misspellings to evade filters. Check your held comments for new spam patterns and add them to your list.
Blocked words vs AI moderation—which is better?
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Blocked words are a great starting point but they're limited to exact text matching. AI moderation tools like CommentShark understand context, detect sentiment, and catch spam that doesn't match any specific keyword. For best results, use both: blocked words as your first line of defense and AI moderation for everything that slips through.
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More Free YouTube Tools

Search conversations with our YouTube Comment Searcher, pick giveaway winners with our YouTube Random Comment Picker, see when viewers comment with the YouTube Engagement Heatmap, visualize what they talk about with the YouTube Comment Word Cloud, or find out who commented first with the YouTube First Comment Finder.