An avatar is an icon, or representation, of a user in a shared virtual reality, such as a forum, chat, website, or any other form of online community in which the user(s) wish to have something to distinguish themselves from other users.

The easiest way to use avatars on your WordPress website is to use Gravatars (Globally Recognized Avatars). Created by Tom Werner, gravatars make it possible for a person to have one avatar across the entire web.

Gravatars are an 80px by 80px image that the user will create themselves at the Gravatar website.

Your Wordpress website will automatically check the Gravatar website for the email address of your user, retrieve the gravatar if existing, and display it with your user's comments.

Sample (gr)avatars