Help Center

What are replies and mentions?

You can join the conversation on Twitter by replying to others and by mentioning them in your own Tweets. For information on how to post replies and mentions, click here.

What is a reply?

  • A reply is a response to another user's Tweet that begins with the @username of the person you're replying to. You can reply by clicking the Reply button on a Tweet.
  • Any Tweet that is a reply to you begins with your @username and will show up in your Notifications tab.
  • When a Tweet starts with a @username, the only users who will see it in their timeline (other than the sender and the recipient) are those who follow both the sender and the recipient.

What is a mention?

  • A mention is a Tweet that contains another user’s @username anywhere in the body of the Tweet. (Yes, this means that replies are also considered mentions.)
  • We collect these messages, as well as all your replies, in your Notifications tab.
  • If you include multiple @usernames in your Tweet, all of those people will see your Tweet in their Notifications tab.

If I see a reply in my timeline, how do I know what Tweet they replied to?

  • Click on the Tweet and it will expand to display the Tweet they replied to. 
  • You'll also see other content related to the Tweet.

Things to note:

  • Visiting another user's profile page on Twitter will not display Tweets that mention them. However, you can search Twitter for Tweets mentioning their @username. Read more about using search here.
  • Replies from people with protected Tweets will only be visible to their approved followers.
  • If someone sends you a reply and you are not following them, the reply will not appear in your Home timeline. Instead, the reply will appear in your Notifications tab.