The gap between the highest displayed buying price and lowest displayed selling price.
Bid–ask spread is best understood as part of a system rather than as an isolated definition. Its related coordinates show the mechanisms, incentives and historical records that give the term practical meaning.
Bid–ask spread describes how participants value, trade or obtain exposure to bitcoin. Market behavior can affect adoption and mining economics, but it does not rewrite consensus rules. Price evidence and protocol evidence answer different questions.
Understanding Bid–ask spread helps distinguish a verifiable Bitcoin mechanism or historical record from slogans, products and market narratives.
For the clearest picture, read this entry together with Market maker, Lightning liquidity, Slippage, Institutional OTC desk. The reverse links also lead from Market maker, Slippage, Market order, Limit order.
Linked to related atlas coordinates
Grounded in a source record
Explains function and trade-offs
Part of the open Bitcoin knowledge graph