Simple English Wikipedia facts for kids
Logo of the Simple English Wikipedia
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Screenshot
The homepage of the Simple English Wikipedia
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Type of site
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Online encyclopedia |
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| Available in | |
| Owner | Wikimedia Foundation |
| Commercial | No |
| Registration | Optional |
| Users | 1,735,430 users, 22 administrators as of 4 March 2026 |
| Launched | September 18, 2001 |
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Content license
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Creative Commons Attribution/ Share-Alike 4.0 (most text also dual-licensed under GFDL) Media licensing varies |
The Simple English Wikipedia is a special version of Wikipedia. It is written in a simpler kind of English. This makes it easier for many people to understand. It helps students, children, and adults who are learning English. It also helps people who have trouble with reading.
This Wikipedia uses Basic English and Learning English. These are simpler ways to write and speak English. It is one of many Wikipedias that use English or English-like languages.
Contents
What is Simple English Wikipedia?
The Simple English Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia. It is like a giant digital book of knowledge. But it uses words and sentences that are easy to read. Its main goal is to share information with everyone. This includes people who are just starting to learn English.
Why is it Helpful?
This version of Wikipedia is very useful for beginners. It helps them learn English while reading about different topics. The way it is written is simpler than the regular English Wikipedia. It uses fewer complex words. This makes it easier to grasp new ideas.
How it Started
The Simple English Wikipedia began a long time ago. It was launched on September 18, 2001. Since then, it has grown a lot.
Key Moments in its History
In 2012, a Wikipedia expert named Andrew Lih talked about it. He said people wondered about its exact purpose. Was it for kids under 14? Or was it just a simpler way to explain hard topics? These questions helped shape its future.
The Simple English Wikipedia also helped with a project called "One Encyclopedia per Child." This project was part of the One Laptop per Child program. It aimed to give educational content to children. This project finished in 2014.
In 2018, there was a discussion about closing the site. Some people thought it wasn't reaching its target audience well enough. But the idea was rejected. The community decided it was still valuable. So, the Simple English Wikipedia continued to grow.
How the Website Works
Articles on the Simple English Wikipedia are usually shorter. They focus on the most important facts. This is different from the regular English Wikipedia. That version often has very detailed articles.
Simple Language and Design
A newspaper called The Guardian noted this difference. They said the Simple English version "sticks to commonly accepted facts." This means it avoids very complex details.
The website also has a simpler design. For example, on the regular Wikipedia, you might see a "Random article" link. On the Simple English Wikipedia, it says "Show any page." Instead of "edit" pages, users are asked to "change" them. If you click a link to a page that doesn't exist, it says "page not created." The regular Wikipedia would say "page does not exist."
The project suggests using about 1,500 common English words. This idea comes from Basic English. Basic English is a special language with only 850 words. It was created by Charles Kay Ogden in the 1920s. This helps keep the articles easy to understand.
Learn More
- Plain English
- Readability
See also
In Spanish: Wikipedia en inglés simple para niños
