Because it\u2019s popular. Like, really popular. More than 40% of the internet runs on WordPress. Spammers see it as a goldmine. They leave nonsense comments to get backlinks, promote shady stuff, or sneak in malicious links. They don\u2019t care about your content \u2014 they\u2019re just looking for attention.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why every blog, big or small, gets hit. But you can stop them with a few clever tricks.<\/p>\n
2. Use Akismet \u2013 Your First Line of Defense<\/strong><\/h2>\nAkismet<\/em> is like that bouncer who stops spammers at the door.<\/p>\n\n- It\u2019s built by Automattic (the guys behind WordPress).<\/li>\n
- It automatically filters out spammy comments.<\/li>\n
- Works silently in the background, 24\/7.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
To use it:<\/p>\n
\n- Go to Plugins > Add New<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
- Search for Akismet Anti-Spam<\/em>.<\/li>\n
- Install & activate.<\/li>\n
- Sign up for an API key and link it.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
That\u2019s it! Akismet will do the heavy lifting from now on.<\/p>\n
3. Close Comments on Old Posts<\/strong><\/h2>\nThis is a sneaky tip. Spammers love old blog posts because you\u2019re not paying attention there.<\/p>\n
To shut them out:<\/p>\n
\n- Go to Settings > Discussion<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
- Check the box next to “Automatically close comments on articles older than X days”<\/em>.<\/li>\n
- Set it to around 14-30 days. That\u2019s usually enough time for real people to comment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Old posts don\u2019t need open doors for spam.<\/p>\n
4. Add a CAPTCHA or Anti-spam Plugin<\/strong><\/h2>\nYou know those \u201cClick all the images with traffic lights\u201d puzzles? Yep, that\u2019s a CAPTCHA. It may annoy bots more than humans. Perfect!<\/p>\n
Here are a couple of plugins that add CAPTCHA protection to your comment form:<\/p>\n
\n- reCAPTCHA by BestWebSoft<\/strong><\/li>\n
- WPForms<\/strong> (has simple forms + spam protection)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
These plugins make bots cry. Use them!<\/p>\n![\"What](\"https:\/\/thumbtube.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/what-is-a-captcha-scaled.jpg\")
\n
5. Turn On Comment Moderation<\/strong><\/h2>\nDo you really want every comment to appear live instantly? Probably not. That\u2019s how spam sneaks through.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how to force comments into moderation:<\/p>\n
\n- Go to Settings > Discussion<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
- Check “Comment must be manually approved”<\/em>.<\/li>\n
- You can also allow auto-approval for trusted users only.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
This gives you more control. It\u2019s like adding a security checkpoint before comments go public.<\/p>\n
6. Limit Links in Comments<\/strong><\/h2>\nSpammers love dropping dozens of shady links. But you can stop that.<\/p>\n
In the same Discussion Settings<\/strong> area, find:<\/p>\n\n- “Hold a comment in the queue if it contains [X] or more links.”<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Set X to 1 or 2.<\/strong> That way, a comment with 5 random links gets flagged immediately.<\/p>\n7. Use a Blacklist or Block Keywords<\/strong><\/h2>\nDo some spam comments have the same junky words? Stuff like \u201cViagra,\u201d \u201ccheap watches,\u201d or \u201ccrypto get rich.\u201d Use that to your advantage.<\/p>\n
In Settings > Discussion<\/strong> look for Comment Blocklist<\/strong>.<\/p>\nAdd keywords there. When a comment contains any of them, it gets tossed instantly.<\/p>\n
Some example keywords for the blocklist could be:<\/p>\n
\n- viagra<\/li>\n
- free money<\/li>\n
- casino<\/li>\n
- cheap<\/li>\n
- click here<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
You can keep adding more as you spot patterns.<\/p>\n
8. Disable Comments Where You Don\u2019t Need Them<\/strong><\/h2>\nNot every post or page needs a comment section. For example, your About page doesn\u2019t need someone selling running shoes in its comments.<\/p>\n
To turn off comments for a post\/page:<\/p>\n
\n- Edit the post.<\/li>\n
- Scroll down and uncheck \u201cAllow Comments.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Or, globally disable comments using:<\/p>\n
\n- Disable Comments<\/strong> plugin (super useful for full shutdown)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thumbtube.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/a-close-up-of-a-calculator-disable-comments-wordpress-settings-example-screen.jpg\")
\n9. Keep Comments from Bots with Honeypots<\/strong><\/h2>\nA honeypot is a sneaky trap. It\u2019s a hidden field in your comment form. Real users don\u2019t see it. But bots do \u2014 and they fill it out. When that happens, the form gets rejected automatically.<\/p>\n
This works great and doesn\u2019t bother users at all.<\/p>\n
Use plugins like:<\/p>\n
\n- Antispam Bee<\/strong><\/li>\n
- WP Armour<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
These plugins secretly do the job in the background.<\/p>\n
10. Keep WordPress and Plugins Updated<\/strong><\/h2>\nIf you’re running old versions of plugins or WordPress itself, you\u2019re inviting spammers. They can exploit known weaknesses to leave spam or worse.<\/p>\n
Always keep:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- WordPress core updated<\/li>\n
- All plugins updated<\/li>\n
- Use well-reviewed plugins with frequent updates<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Updates close the doors that bad actors try to sneak through.<\/p>\n
11. Automatically Mark Comments With Gravatar-less Authors<\/strong><\/h2>\nSpammers rarely use Gravatar (profile images tied to emails). You can filter comments without Gravatar as suspicious.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t foolproof, but it helps \u2014 especially when combined with other filters. You\u2019ll need a plugin or some code for this one, like Simple Comment Editing<\/em> with custom filters.<\/p>\n12. Final Touch: Use a Combo of Methods<\/strong><\/h2>\nNo single trick will stop spam 100%. But combine a few:<\/p>\n
- \n
- It\u2019s built by Automattic (the guys behind WordPress).<\/li>\n
- It automatically filters out spammy comments.<\/li>\n
- Works silently in the background, 24\/7.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
To use it:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Go to Plugins > Add New<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
- Search for Akismet Anti-Spam<\/em>.<\/li>\n
- Install & activate.<\/li>\n
- Sign up for an API key and link it.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
That\u2019s it! Akismet will do the heavy lifting from now on.<\/p>\n
3. Close Comments on Old Posts<\/strong><\/h2>\n
This is a sneaky tip. Spammers love old blog posts because you\u2019re not paying attention there.<\/p>\n
To shut them out:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Go to Settings > Discussion<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
- Check the box next to “Automatically close comments on articles older than X days”<\/em>.<\/li>\n
- Set it to around 14-30 days. That\u2019s usually enough time for real people to comment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Old posts don\u2019t need open doors for spam.<\/p>\n
4. Add a CAPTCHA or Anti-spam Plugin<\/strong><\/h2>\n
You know those \u201cClick all the images with traffic lights\u201d puzzles? Yep, that\u2019s a CAPTCHA. It may annoy bots more than humans. Perfect!<\/p>\n
Here are a couple of plugins that add CAPTCHA protection to your comment form:<\/p>\n
- \n
- reCAPTCHA by BestWebSoft<\/strong><\/li>\n
- WPForms<\/strong> (has simple forms + spam protection)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
These plugins make bots cry. Use them!<\/p>\n
\n5. Turn On Comment Moderation<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Do you really want every comment to appear live instantly? Probably not. That\u2019s how spam sneaks through.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how to force comments into moderation:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Go to Settings > Discussion<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
- Check “Comment must be manually approved”<\/em>.<\/li>\n
- You can also allow auto-approval for trusted users only.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
This gives you more control. It\u2019s like adding a security checkpoint before comments go public.<\/p>\n
6. Limit Links in Comments<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Spammers love dropping dozens of shady links. But you can stop that.<\/p>\n
In the same Discussion Settings<\/strong> area, find:<\/p>\n
- \n
- “Hold a comment in the queue if it contains [X] or more links.”<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Set X to 1 or 2.<\/strong> That way, a comment with 5 random links gets flagged immediately.<\/p>\n
7. Use a Blacklist or Block Keywords<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Do some spam comments have the same junky words? Stuff like \u201cViagra,\u201d \u201ccheap watches,\u201d or \u201ccrypto get rich.\u201d Use that to your advantage.<\/p>\n
In Settings > Discussion<\/strong> look for Comment Blocklist<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
Add keywords there. When a comment contains any of them, it gets tossed instantly.<\/p>\n
Some example keywords for the blocklist could be:<\/p>\n
- \n
- viagra<\/li>\n
- free money<\/li>\n
- casino<\/li>\n
- cheap<\/li>\n
- click here<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
You can keep adding more as you spot patterns.<\/p>\n
8. Disable Comments Where You Don\u2019t Need Them<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Not every post or page needs a comment section. For example, your About page doesn\u2019t need someone selling running shoes in its comments.<\/p>\n
To turn off comments for a post\/page:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Edit the post.<\/li>\n
- Scroll down and uncheck \u201cAllow Comments.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Or, globally disable comments using:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Disable Comments<\/strong> plugin (super useful for full shutdown)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
9. Keep Comments from Bots with Honeypots<\/strong><\/h2>\n
A honeypot is a sneaky trap. It\u2019s a hidden field in your comment form. Real users don\u2019t see it. But bots do \u2014 and they fill it out. When that happens, the form gets rejected automatically.<\/p>\n
This works great and doesn\u2019t bother users at all.<\/p>\n
Use plugins like:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Antispam Bee<\/strong><\/li>\n
- WP Armour<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
These plugins secretly do the job in the background.<\/p>\n
10. Keep WordPress and Plugins Updated<\/strong><\/h2>\n
If you’re running old versions of plugins or WordPress itself, you\u2019re inviting spammers. They can exploit known weaknesses to leave spam or worse.<\/p>\n
Always keep:<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- WordPress core updated<\/li>\n
- All plugins updated<\/li>\n
- Use well-reviewed plugins with frequent updates<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Updates close the doors that bad actors try to sneak through.<\/p>\n
11. Automatically Mark Comments With Gravatar-less Authors<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Spammers rarely use Gravatar (profile images tied to emails). You can filter comments without Gravatar as suspicious.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t foolproof, but it helps \u2014 especially when combined with other filters. You\u2019ll need a plugin or some code for this one, like Simple Comment Editing<\/em> with custom filters.<\/p>\n
12. Final Touch: Use a Combo of Methods<\/strong><\/h2>\n
No single trick will stop spam 100%. But combine a few:<\/p>\n
- WP Armour<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Antispam Bee<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Disable Comments<\/strong> plugin (super useful for full shutdown)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Check “Comment must be manually approved”<\/em>.<\/li>\n
- WPForms<\/strong> (has simple forms + spam protection)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Check the box next to “Automatically close comments on articles older than X days”<\/em>.<\/li>\n
- Search for Akismet Anti-Spam<\/em>.<\/li>\n
- Go to Plugins > Add New<\/strong>.<\/li>\n