How Can I Moderate Comments?

By default, there is no Comment Moderation.

Anyone can comment and the comments will be shown straight away.

If you want to restrict comments, you have several options.

The Settings > Discussion page.

[] Users must be registered and logged in to comment

Allow only Registered users to comment

Membership: Users must be registered and logged in to comment

If that box is ticked, people who are not registered here or logged in here cannot comment.

[ ] Allow people to post comments on the article
If you want all comments OFF by default, tick this.

[ ] An administrator must always approve the comment
You have to allow everything if you tick this.

[ ] Comment author must have a previously approved comment
Checking this instead of ‘An administrator must always approve the comment’ means that you only moderate those comments made by new people to the blog. You are trusting the comment authors.

The Comment Moderation box
One use for this would be bad language. If you do not want certain words to be used, write those words in this box. All comments with those words will be held for you to check.

Another would be if someone who had been approved as a commenter begins commenting in a way you do not like.

The Comment Blacklist box
This is intended to be used against spammers. Please do not use this to try to get real people marked as spammers.

Comment Moderation
Hold a comment in the queue if it contains X or more links. (A common characteristic of comment spam is a large number of hyperlinks.)
If X is zero, then EVERY SINGLE COMMENT will need moderation.