If your comment is not published and you see the “Your comment was not published” message, the comment may have been classified as spam or trash. Below, we explain how wpDiscuz handles these submissions and answer the most common questions.
Why does my comment say "Your comment was not published"?
This message usually means that WordPress or a moderation/anti-spam plugin stored your comment as spam or trash instead of placing it in the pending-approval queue.
If you believe your comment was rejected by mistake, please contact the site owner.
Does "Your comment was not published" mean that my comment is awaiting approval?
No. This message normally means that the comment was stored as spam or trash, not as a comment awaiting approval.
What happens when my comment is awaiting approval?
If your comment is placed in the pending-approval queue, wpDiscuz displays your comment with an "Awaiting for approval" label.
The comment is visible to you, but other visitors cannot see it until it is approved.
Will I lose my comment if it is rejected?
Normally, no. wpDiscuz keeps your comment text and form fields in place so you can review or copy them.
However, we recommend keeping the page open until you have copied your text. Reloading or leaving the page may cause the entered information to be lost.
Why does the same message appear when I submit my comment again?
If WordPress detects that the comment is a duplicate of a comment already stored as spam, wpDiscuz normally displays "Your comment was not published" again without storing another copy.
If a moderation plugin provided a more detailed explanation, that explanation may only be available during the first submission.
Why am I seeing a different error message?
The exact message can depend on WordPress, wpDiscuz, or another moderation/security plugin.
Site owners can also customize wpDiscuz's spam and trash messages.
Does this behavior also apply to replies?
Yes. The same rejection behavior applies to main comments and replies.
If WordPress stores the submission as spam or trash, wpDiscuz displays a rejection response.
Does this apply to inline feedback?
Yes. Inline feedback follows the same rejection behavior when WordPress stores the submission as spam or trash.
When inline feedback is successfully submitted, the wpDiscuz displays the usual "Thank you for your feedback!" message.
What should I check if legitimate comments are being rejected?
If legitimate comments are being rejected, the site owner should check:
WordPress > Comments, including the Spam and Trash folders.
WordPress Discussion and comment moderation settings.
Active anti-spam and moderation plugins.
Any caching that may be serving outdated pages or forms.
wpDiscuz 7.6.71 also improved compatibility with anti-spam fields in main, reply, and inline-feedback forms.
Can I change the "Your comment was not published" message?
Yes. The default rejection wording can be changed in the wpDiscuz > Phrases > Errors admin page.
If the site uses PO/MO translation files, these strings should instead be managed through the translation files.
