Big general subreddits
Best time to post in r/Showerthoughts
The best and worst hours to post, the rules that get posts removed, and a check of your draft against both.
Posts in r/Showerthoughts are most often removed for self-promotion issues. It is a public subreddit that does not allow link posts and does not require post flair. In our latest sample of 78 recent posts, an estimated 94% were still up about a day later.
A subreddit for sharing those miniature epiphanies that make the mundane more amazing.
The best and worst hours to post in r/Showerthoughts
In our sample of 483 recent and top r/Showerthoughts posts, activity and scores peak around Monday 10pm UTC, and are weakest around Saturday 7pm UTC. Based on posts sampled through Aug 31, 2026. Times in this sentence are UTC; the grid below converts to your local timezone. Timing helps a clean post get seen. It does not save a post that breaks a rule.
- Window 1
Mon around 10pm
avg score 8938.2 · 5 posts sampled
- Window 2
Sun around 2am
avg score 8383.5 · 4 posts sampled
- Window 3
Thu around 4am
avg score 8129.8 · 4 posts sampled
Your timezone: UTC (GMT+0). Darker cells mean more posts in our sample.
Compare r/Showerthoughts against every tracked community on the best time to post on Reddit tool.
Estimated survival rate
94%
of 78 recent r/Showerthoughts posts we sampled were still publicly visible about a day later.
How this is measured
Estimate. We sample recent public posts and check again about 18 hours later to count how many are still publicly visible. Posts removed at the moment of submission never become publicly visible at all, so the true removal rate is at least this high. Last sampled Sep 5, 2026.
r/Showerthoughts rules: what actually gets removed
Each rule below is paired with the way it is most likely enforced. Where the rules state a number, we quote it. Where they do not, we say so instead of guessing.
1.All content must be original.
Enforcement variesEverything offered in /r/Showerthoughts must be written by its poster. AI-generated content, copied-and-pasted content, and other such unoriginal content is strictly forbidden. [Read more here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Showerthoughts/wiki/rules#wiki_all_submissions_must_be_original.).
2.All posts must meet the minimum requirements for their flair.
Enforced automaticallyAssign the appropriate flair to your post when submitting. **Very few posts will be showerthoughts.** Please read and understand [the requirements for each flair](https://www.reddit.com/r/Showerthoughts/wiki/requirements) before posting. **Please only assign flairs when submitting posts.** **Reflairing a post will result in it being removed.** [Read more here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Showerthoughts/wiki/requirements).
3.Your entire thought must be in the post's title.
Enforcement variesPosts in /r/Showerthoughts must stand on their own. Explanations, elaboration, examples, or clarifications should only be offered as comments.
4.Submissions must be offered in error-free English.
Enforcement variesSince posts in /r/Showerthoughts are rarely longer than a sentence, they must meet a minimum standard of quality. [Read more here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Showerthoughts/wiki/rules#wiki_submissions_must_be_offered_in_error-free_english.).
5.No misinformation.
Enforcement variesMisinformation of any kind is forbidden. This includes posts that use blatantly false premises to attract attention. [Read more here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Showerthoughts/wiki/rules#wiki_no_misinformation.).
6.No done-to-death or banned submissions.
Enforcement variesPosts may not be jokes, puns, wordplay, advice, soapboxing, "shower commentary" (like "Ow, this water is too hot!"), or anything from the list of done-to-death topics. Posts pertaining to politics, religion, Reddit, and social justice are also forbidden, as are posts about or pertaining to language. [Read more here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Showerthoughts/wiki/rules#wiki_no_done-to-death_or_banned_submissions.).
7.No spam or spam-enabling activity of any kind.
Enforcement variesSpam and spam-enabling activity is strictly prohibited, regardless of how or where on Reddit it takes place. **Users may only offer one post per seventy-two-hour period.** [Read more here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Showerthoughts/wiki/rules#wiki_no_spam_or_spam-enabling_activity_of_any_kind.).
8.Remain civil at all times.
Enforcement variesBigotry, hate-speech, harassment, and personal attacks will result in immediate and permanent bans. Submissions which are hostile, intentionally demeaning, or directly insulting will be removed. [Read more here](https://reddit.com/r/Showerthoughts/wiki/rules#wiki_remain_civil_at_all_times.).
r/Showerthoughts does not publish karma or account-age minimums in its rules. Subreddits often enforce unpublished filters on top of what they write down, which is why posts from new accounts can vanish without a message here.
Can you self-promote in r/Showerthoughts?
No. r/Showerthoughts bans self-promotion outright: product links, launch posts, and thinly framed feedback posts get removed. The sub's own wording: "AI-generated content, copied-and-pasted content, and other such unoriginal content is strictly forbidden.". If you want eyes on your project, contribute first and look for communities with a promo lane.
r/Showerthoughts by the numbers
- Members
- 34.2M
- Active right now
- Not public
- Posts / day
- 2
- 340 comments / day
- Community age
- 14 years
- since Oct 18, 2011
| Median title length | Posts with a link | Posts with flair | Dominant format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 101 characters | 0% | 100% | text posts |
What gets removed in r/Showerthoughts
Self-promotion
r/Showerthoughts bans self-promo outright. Product links, launch posts, and thinly framed "feedback" posts are removed.
Low karma or a new account
r/Showerthoughts publishes no karma or age minimum, but unpublished account filters are common at this size. New accounts should comment before posting.
AI-generated content
r/Showerthoughts removes content it judges to be AI-generated. Obvious AI phrasing in a draft raises removal risk even when a human wrote most of it.
Reddit's sitewide spam filter
A separate layer before the subreddit ever sees your post. New accounts posting links, URL shorteners, and repeated domains are its favorite targets. Removals are instant and silent.
A shadowbanned account
If the account itself is shadowbanned, every post looks live to you and invisible to everyone else, in any subreddit.
Wondering about a post that already disappeared? Start with why Reddit posts get removed or run the free shadowban check.
Subreddits like r/Showerthoughts
Posting somewhere adjacent? Each of these has its own rules and its own removal pattern. Check the one you actually plan to post in.
r/funny
67.6M members
Reddit's largest humor depository
r/AskReddit
59.5M members
r/AskReddit is the place to ask and answer thought-provoking questions.
r/worldnews
47.5M members
A place for major news from around the world, excluding US-internal news.
r/todayilearned
41.6M members
You learn something new every day; what did you learn today? Submit interesting and specific facts about something that you just found out here.
r/memes
36M members
Memes! A way of describing cultural information being shared. An element of a culture or system of behavior that may be considered to be passed from one individual to another by nongenetic means, especially imitation.
r/pics
33.5M members
A place for photographs, pictures, and other images.
r/videos
26.9M members
Reddit's main subreddit for videos. Please read the sidebar below for our rules.
r/mildlyinteresting
25.4M members
Aww, cripes. I didn't know I'd have to write a description. How many words is that so far, like a hundred? Soooo, yeah. Mildly interesting stuff. Stuff that interests you. Mildly. It's in the name, ffs.
r/AmItheAsshole
24.6M members
A catharsis for the frustrated moral philosopher in all of us, and a place to finally find out if you were wrong in an argument that's been bothering you. Tell us about any non-violent conflict you have experienced; give us both sides of the story, and find out if you're right, or you're the asshole. See our ~~*Best Of*~~ "Most Controversial" at /r/AITAFiltered!
r/explainlikeimfive
23.7M members
Explain Like I'm Five is the best forum and archive on the internet for layperson-friendly explanations. Don't Panic!
r/Showerthoughts posting questions
Can I post links in r/Showerthoughts?
No. r/Showerthoughts accepts text posts only, so a link-only submission is rejected at the door. You can usually mention a link inside the body text, but the sub's rules on self-promotion still apply to it. Check your draft against the rules before posting.
Does r/Showerthoughts require karma to post?
r/Showerthoughts does not publish a karma minimum. That does not mean there is none: many subreddits enforce unpublished karma and account-age filters that remove posts silently. If your account is new or has little karma, that is the first thing to rule out when a post disappears.
Can you self-promote in r/Showerthoughts?
No. r/Showerthoughts bans self-promotion outright: product links, launch posts, and thinly framed feedback posts get removed. The sub's own wording: "AI-generated content, copied-and-pasted content, and other such unoriginal content is strictly forbidden.". If you want eyes on your project, contribute first and look for communities with a promo lane.
Is r/Showerthoughts strict?
Moderate, by our estimate (31/100 on our strictness scale, from its measured removal rate, 8 rules, and its stated gates). About 6% of recent posts disappeared within a day in our sample. Strictness is about enforcement, not hostility: a strict sub is predictable if you follow its rules.
Does r/Showerthoughts allow AI-generated content?
No. r/Showerthoughts removes content it judges to be AI-generated. That includes obviously AI-phrased text even when a human edited it, so rewrite drafts in your own voice before posting here.
What is the best time to post in r/Showerthoughts?
Based on our sample of recent and top posts, activity and scores peak around Monday 10pm UTC and Sunday 2am UTC. Treat this as a starting point, not a guarantee: a post that breaks a rule gets removed at any hour. The heatmap on this page converts these windows to your local time.
Why do posts get removed in r/Showerthoughts?
The most common reasons are self-promotion violations, plus the layers every subreddit has: Reddit's sitewide spam filter, unpublished AutoMod rules, and account-level gates like karma and age. In our recent sample, roughly 6% of r/Showerthoughts posts disappeared within about a day of going up. Many removals are silent, so checking your draft first beats finding out after.
Rules last checked Aug 31, 2026
Go deeper: how AutoMod removals work, the shadowban explainer, or earning karma the allowed way.
Stop getting silently removed.
Know if your post survives before you hit submit, and fix it if it won't.
Check my post for freePaste a draft · verdict in ~10 seconds