Geopolymerization chemistry requires appropriate terminologies and notions that are evidently different from those in use by Portland cement experts. 
Indeed, geopolymer cement is sometimes mixed up with alkali-activated cement and concrete, developed more than 50 years ago by V.D. Glukhovsky in Ukraine, during the period of the former Soviet Union. They were originally known under the names "soil silicate concretes" and "soil cements". Because Portland cement concretes can be affected by the deleterious alkali-aggregate reaction, coined AAR, also known as alkali–silica reaction, coined ASR (internal swelling of siliceous aggregates due to the reaction of amorphous silica with KOH and NaOH (dissolution of  at high pH and swelling of the hygroscopic silica gel formed), for more details, see for example the RILEM Committee 219-ACS Aggregate Reaction in Concrete Structures), the wording alkali-activation sometimes has a negative impact on civil engineers. However, geopolymer cements do not in general show these deleterious reactions (see below in Properties), when an appropriate aggregate is selected. Terminology related to alkali-activated materials or alkali-activated geopolymers is also in wide (but debated) use. These cements, sometimes abbreviated AAM, encompass the specific fields of alkali-activated slags, alkali-activated coal fly ashes, and various blended cementing systems (see RILEM Technical committee 247-DTA).