Coal is a natural mineral that forms over the span of millions of years while charcoal is a manufactured product created from wood. While coal in its natural state is never used alone in a barbeque or smoker, it is commonly added to charcoal briquettes to increase the energy density.
I’m talking real coal.
Ehrm yes, that’s also ‘real’ coal. There are multiple types of coal.
It might have a bit of coal in it, but it’s not coal.
https://rootsofprogress.org/what-is-charcoal
https://zgrills.com.au/coal-vs-charcoal