Wikipedia:Don't abbreviate "Wikipedia" as "Wiki"!


 * See also Wikipedia is not Wiki.

"Wiki" is usually not a proper name and, when it is, it does not refer to Wikipedia. Please understand that "wiki" is a generic term that describes a type of website or software.

The term "wiki" refers to a type of site patterned after C2 Wiki, the original site to use the term "wiki" (an abbreviation of WikiWikiWeb). There are in fact many such wikis in existence, of which Wikipedia is only one. Therefore, referring to any one of them (except perhaps the original C2 Wiki) using the capitalized "Wiki" is incorrect at best, and to a somewhat experienced Internet user, can be painful to hear.

Although your intentions may be obvious, such a blatant misuse of language is nevertheless painful.

To illustrate, imagine seeing someone say this:
 * {| style="border:darkgray solid 1px;background-color:#F9F9F9;padding: 5px 12px 5px 10px; font-size:110%;"

See how odd that sounds? That's what a lot of Wikipedia users feel when people use "Wiki" to refer to "Wikipedia".
 * "Tree's leaves are turning pretty colors. I think Tree looks nice today."
 * }

For the health and well-being of the community, when referring to this encyclopedia, either type out the entire word, "Wikipedia", or, when unambiguous (when it's clear that e.g. WordPress is not being referenced), use the abbreviation "WP".

Proper usage guide
The word "wiki" can be used in a number of proper and inoffensive ways. Below we compare and contrast the do's and do-not-do's of "wiki" usage, complete with excessively complex grammatical explanations.

Example #1: Plural noun

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 * "Wikipedia is my favorite website." – User 1
 * "Well, I don't know about that, but it is certainly the most useful of all wikis." – User 2

Notice that in User 2's comment, the word "wiki" is in its plural form, "wikis", having a plural "s" on its end. Since the plural form of "wiki" always acknowledges its generic nature, this usage is ✅.
 * }

Example #2: Singular noun

 * {| style="border:darkgray solid 1px;background-color:#F9F9F9;padding: 5px 10px 0 10px;"


 * "Wikipedia pages are loading slowly for me in the last couple hours. Has anyone else noticed this?" – User 1
 * "Yes, the wiki seems to be operating slowly today." – User 2

In this example, while the word "wiki" is now in its singular form, and "wiki" does seem to be referring only to Wikipedia, the article "the" now appears before it. This implies reference merely to one out of a possible many different wikis. Since User 2's usage is still as a generic noun that acknowledges the nature of the object it describes, rather than being a proper name for a singular entity, this usage is ✅. (Similarly with demonstratives: "This wiki is better than that one.")
 * }

Example #3: Proper noun

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Notice that in this example, User 1 has used "wiki" as a proper name.
 * "Wiki is where I go to research my brain medicines." – User 1
 * }

Per usage predating the rise of Wikipedia, "Wiki" could be used as a proper noun ... for C2 Wiki, the first site to identify as a "wiki", which was then a new coinage (an abbreviation of WikiWikiWeb). Use of Wiki, as a proper noun, to refer to Wikipedia rather than to C2 is therefore a misuse.

Whilst "wiki" is now usually used as a generic term rather than a specific C2 reference, since there are many possible wikis that User 1 could be referring to, and since "wiki" in the current sense is a generic description for many different websites and software packages, this usage is wrong, blasphemous, offensive, and ❌. User 1 is also admonished for seeking to use Wikipedia as a source of medical advice.

Example #4: Colloquialisms

 * {| style="border:darkgray solid 1px;background-color:#F9F9F9;padding: 5px 10px 0px 10px;"


 * "How many admins does it take to change a light bulb?" – User 1
 * "Let's discuss this off-wiki." – User 2

Some colloquial terms or phrases may incorporate "wiki", but are nevertheless unique terms in and of themselves, not requiring adjustment to accommodate the specific institution being referenced. In this example, "wiki" should not be considered alone, but rather as part of the term "off-wiki". "Off-wiki" is generally used as a stand-in for "outside of the current wiki", which as you can see, implies the article "the". Therefore, as in example #2 above, this usage is ✅.
 * }

Discouragement
You can discourage others from abbreviating Wikipedia as Wiki using this template and userbox:

Template
When encountering improper "wiki" usage in the wild (on talk pages), the following code can be used to place a graphical warning:

or

Produces the graphic seen to the right, complete with a link to this essay.

Userbox
Show your support — place  on your userpage. It'll look like this: