Smokeless tobacco is another name for oral or spit tobacco and it usually refers only to tobacco products that are placed in the mouth. Each product is slightly different, and they were developed at different times and in different places.
Four types of smokeless (oral) tobacco are sold in the United States:
Snuff is finely ground tobacco packaged in cans or pouches, which can be sold dry (as a powdered form that is sniffed) or moist (placed between the lower lip or cheek and gum). It’s sometimes used in teabag-like pouches.
Chewing tobacco (known as "chew") is available in loose leaves, plugs, or twists of tobacco, and is placed between the cheek and gum or teeth.
Snus (rhymes with “loose”), originally from Sweden, is moist snuff that comes packaged in small pouches and is often flavored. It is a spitless product. Unlike other smokeless tobacco products, there is evidence that it’s less dangerous than snuff or chew, so if you’re not able to quit another form of oral tobacco, it may be a reasonable substitution.
Dissolvable tobacco is another spitless, frequently flavored tobacco product. It’s finely milled and dissolves in the mouth.