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
- Open YouTube Studio (YouTube Help)
- Click Settings in the left sidebar
- Go to Community → Automated Filters
- Find the Blocked words text box
- Paste your comma-separated list from the tool above (YouTube allows up to 50,000 characters in the blocked words field)
- Click Save
Comments matching blocked words will be held for review in the Comments → Held for review tab in YouTube Studio.
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 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
What is CommentShark?+
CommentShark is a web app that helps you scale engagement with your YouTube audience. It's the ultimate YouTube comment management tool. CommentShark allows you to quickly respond to comments, reply to multiple comments at once, use the help of AI to generate replies, template repetitive responses, search and filter your comments, find your top commenters, see your history with them, and much more!
How does it work?+
CommentShark connects to your YouTube channel via the official API. You set up "Rules" that match specific text, use AI classification, or text matching patterns. When a new comment matches a rule, CommentShark can automatically reply, moderate (hold for review or reject), or delete the comment—running 24/7 in the background. You choose whether actions happen automatically or require your approval.
Is it safe?+
Absolutely. We use official YouTube APIs and OAuth 2.0 for secure authentication. We only request the permissions necessary to manage your comments. We don't store your password, and you can revoke access at any time via your Google Account settings. See more at our Terms of Service.
How do I get started?+
To get started, simply sign up with your Google account and link your YouTube channel. From there, you can start exploring the different features and configure your settings. Just login at /dashboard to get started.
Is there a free trial?+
Yes, we offer a free tier with limited features. You can upgrade to a paid plan at any time to unlock more features and higher limits.
How much does it cost?+
CommentShark has a flexible pricing model to suit your needs:
- Free: 30 comment actions per month.
- Plus ($9.99/mo): 300 comment actions per month + AI features.
- Pro ($19.99/mo): 1,500 comment actions per month + Priority Support.
What happens if I hit my monthly limit?+
If you reach your monthly limit for comment actions, the system will pause sending replies until your next billing cycle or until you upgrade your plan. You'll be notified so you never miss a beat.
How do I contact sales for enterprise plans?+
Use the Contact Sales form and share your team size, goals, and comment volume. We'll follow up with a tailored enterprise plan.
Does CommentShark support multiple channels?+
Currently, CommentShark supports one YouTube channel per account. However, you can invite team members to manage your channel without sharing YouTube credentials. If you need to manage multiple channels, you'll need separate CommentShark accounts for each.
Can I invite team members to manage my CommentShark?+
Yes! You can invite team members to help manage your CommentShark account without sharing your YouTube credentials. Go to Settings → Team Access to invite people by email. You can assign roles like Admin (full access except billing), Editor (can reply and manage rules), or Viewer (read-only). Team members will receive an invite link at their email address.
How do I delete my account?+
You can permanently delete your account and all associated data from the Profile page in your dashboard. Scroll to the bottom to find the "Danger Zone". This action is irreversible.
Can I review replies before they are sent?+
Yes! You can choose between Autonomous mode (replies are posted immediately) or Approval Required mode. In Approval Required mode, all AI-generated replies go to a queue where you can edit, approve, or reject them before they go live.
How does the AI reply generation work?+
We use advanced AI models to analyze the sentiment and context of each comment. You can set custom instructions (e.g., "Be polite and grateful" or "Answer as a pirate") or use our smart templates. The AI generates a unique, personalized response that sounds like you. It learns from your previous replies to provide more natural responses, and you can provide more context to the AI to help it generate more accurate responses.
How long does it take for automations to reply to comments?+
Comment actions take at most 1 hour to execute because comments need to be synced from YouTube first. Paid channels sync every hour, so the average response time is around 30 minutes. This sync schedule ensures reliable delivery while managing API quota efficiently. You can monitor processed comments and see which ones matched your rules in the Activity tab.
Can CommentShark automatically moderate or delete comments?+
Yes! Beyond automatic replies, you can create rules that hold comments for review, reject them outright, or delete them permanently. This is perfect for filtering spam, hate speech, or policy-violating content before it appears on your videos.
Will my comments be classified as spam?+
No. Comments on YouTube are classified as spam by Youtube if they violate policy guidelines. You can read more about YouTube's spam policies and community guidelines.
What is brand safety and why does it matter for YouTube?+
Brand safety refers to protecting your brand's reputation by ensuring your content (and comments) don't appear alongside harmful, offensive, or inappropriate material. On YouTube, toxic comments, spam, and hate speech can damage brand perception—68% of buyers read comments before purchasing. CommentShark's moderation tools help keep your comment sections brand-safe 24/7.
Does CommentShark support teams and agencies?+
Yes! CommentShark supports team collaboration for agencies and enterprise brands. You can invite team members to manage comments without sharing YouTube credentials. Features include role-based permissions (Admin, Editor, Viewer), approval workflows where team members review AI suggestions, and activity tracking to see who handled which comments.
Is CommentShark secure for enterprise use?+
CommentShark uses enterprise-grade security. We authenticate via OAuth 2.0 (we never see your password), use encrypted connections for all data, and comply with YouTube's official API policies. You can revoke access anytime via your Google Account settings.
How do YouTube blocked words work?+
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?+
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?+
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.
Can blocked words hurt my channel's engagement?+
If your blocked words list is too aggressive, it can hold legitimate comments for review, which may frustrate viewers if you don't approve them promptly. To minimize this, use specific phrases instead of single common words, review your held comments regularly, and start conservatively before expanding your list.
Should I block profanity on my YouTube channel?+
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?+
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?+
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.
More Free YouTube Tools
Search conversations with our YouTube Comment Searcher, pick giveaway winners with our YouTube Random Comment Picker, or find out who commented first with the YouTube First Comment Finder.