Stop Spam Comments

Comment spam includes automated promotions, unwanted links and repeated irrelevant messages submitted through WordPress comments. You can reduce it without disabling genuine discussion across the whole website.

Review the discussion settings

1. Open Settings > Discussion.
2. Choose whether commenters must provide a name and email address.
3. Hold first-time commenters for approval where appropriate.
4. Set the number of links that sends a comment to moderation.
5. Choose whether comments close automatically on older posts.

Add suitable spam protection

• Use one maintained anti-spam solution that works with the site’s privacy requirements.
• Add a honeypot or visitor challenge if automated submissions continue.
• Use a blocklist for clear repeated terms or sources without making it so broad that genuine comments are rejected.
• Disable comments on individual pages or content types that do not need public discussion.

Manage comments already received

Open Comments to approve genuine contributions and mark unwanted entries as spam. Review the spam list before deleting it in case a genuine comment was classified incorrectly. If the unwanted messages come through a contact form instead, follow Contact Forms Failing to review that form’s spam controls.