User Role
A user role is a named bundle of permissions in WordPress that decides what each person who logs in is allowed to do.
In plain English
WordPress ships with five: Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor and Subscriber. An Administrator can do anything including installing plugins. A Subscriber can barely do more than log in.
The role is attached to the person, so you are not deciding permissions page by page. You decide once what kind of user someone is.
Why it matters
Most sites hand out Administrator to everyone because it is easier, and that is how a site ends up with six people who can delete it.
It also limits the damage of a stolen password. If the account that gets compromised is an Author, the attacker can write a bad post. If it is an Administrator, they own the site.
How it works
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Each role holds capabilitiesSmall named permissions like edit_posts, publish_pages or install_plugins.
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WordPress checks before actingEvery admin screen and action asks whether the current user has the capability for it.
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You assign the role per userOn the user’s profile, changeable at any time.
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Plugins can add their ownA shop adds a customer role, a membership plugin adds its levels, each with its own capabilities.
Give yourself a second account
Work day to day as an Editor and keep one Administrator account for the jobs that need it. It costs nothing and it prevents a whole category of accidents.