English Wikipedia Wikipedia
Editors of the English Wikipedia have pioneered some ideas as conventions, policies or features which were later adopted by Wikipedia editions in some of the other languages. English Wikipedia has been characterized as having less cultural bias than other language editions due to its broader editor base. The English Wikipedia is the most read version of Wikipedia, accounting for 48% of Wikipedia’s cumulative traffic, with the remaining percentage split among the other languages.
There are a number of publications from the Wikimedia Foundation and multilingual publications such as the Wikimedia Blog and This Month in Education. One featured article per day, as selected by editors, appears on the main page of Wikipedia. Of the about 6.5 million articles and lists assessed as of April 2022, more than 6,000 (0.09%) are featured articles, and fewer than 4,000 (0.06%) are featured lists. The range of quality classes begins with “Stub” (very short pages), followed by “Start”, “C” and “B” (in increasing order of quality). In contrast, articles on other languages’ Wikipedias often focus on regional issues. Various suggestions have been made, ranging from standardizing a single form of English to creating separate versions of the English Wikipedia project.
The Economist reported that the number of contributors with an average of five or more edits per month was relatively constant since 2008 for Wikipedia in other languages at approximately 42,000 editors within narrow seasonal variances of about 2,000 editors up or down. It has been criticized for exhibiting systemic bias, particularly gender bias against women and ideological bias. English Wikipedia, often as a stand-in for Wikipedia overall, has been praised for its enablement of the democratization of knowledge, extent of coverage, unique structure, culture, and reduced degree of commercial bias. Modified version of the logo of English Wikipedia celebrating its 25th anniversary
Its content, written independently of other editions by volunteer editors known as Wikipedians, is in various varieties of English while aiming to stay consistent within articles. Mozilla Foundation is building a future where technology is powered by people, and open by design. In 2007, in preparation for producing a print version, the English Wikipedia introduced an assessment scale of the quality of articles.
For the version of Wikipedia written in Basic English, see Simple English Wikipedia.
Internal news publications
It was created by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger on 15 January 2001, as Wikipedia’s first edition. The English Wikipedia is the primarya English-language edition of Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia. Our new magazine for independent thinkers, technologists, and creatives on the front lines of digital culture. At a critical moment for the future of AI, our inaugural, annual survey looks at where open AI is winning, and where it is exposed.
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- The English Wikipedia has the most articles of any edition, at 7,231,899 as of August 2026.b It contains 10.6% of articles in all Wikipedias,b although it lacks millions of articles found in other editions.
- One featured article per day, as selected by editors, appears on the main page of Wikipedia.
- These groups may focus on a specific topic area (for example, women’s history), a specific location or a specific kind of task (for example, checking newly created pages).
- Of the about 6.5 million articles and lists assessed as of April 2022, more than 6,000 (0.09%) are featured articles, and fewer than 4,000 (0.06%) are featured lists.
WikiProjects and assessment
Mark Surman discusses how we can build a tech ecosystem with a double bottom line — one that values both mission and money. Pitch your company to Mozilla Ventures and secure funding to drive positive change for the future of AI and the internet. Break free from big tech — our products put you in control of a safer, more private internet experience. From trustworthy tech to policies that defend your digital rights, we put you first — always.
- From trustworthy tech to policies that defend your digital rights, we put you first — always.
- The Economist reported that the number of contributors with an average of five or more edits per month was relatively constant since 2008 for Wikipedia in other languages at approximately 42,000 editors within narrow seasonal variances of about 2,000 editors up or down.
- The English Wikipedia is hosted alongside other language editions by the Wikimedia Foundation, an American nonprofit organization.
- The English Wikipedia is the primarya English-language edition of Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia.
- It was created by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger on 15 January 2001, as Wikipedia’s first edition.
- A 2010 study found unevenness in quality among featured articles and concluded that the community process is ineffective in assessing the quality of articles.
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Other community news publications include the “WikiWorld” web comic, the Wikipedia Weekly podcast, and newsletters of specific WikiProjects like The Bugle from WikiProject Military History and the monthly newsletter from The Guild https://moroswin.gr.com/ of Copy Editors. That’s why we fuel community-centered tech through advocacy, education, funding, and innovation — to make sure that the future of tech is good for everyone. A 2010 study found unevenness in quality among featured articles and concluded that the community process is ineffective in assessing the quality of articles. The trend analysis published in The Economist presents Wikipedia in other languages (non-English Wikipedia) as successful in retaining their active editors on a renewable and sustained basis, with their numbers remaining relatively constant at approximately 42,000.
It was created by Jimmy Wales on 4 December 2003 as an extension of the decision-making power he had formerly held as owner of the site. The English Wikipedia has the Arbitration Committee (also known as ArbCom) that consists of a panel of editors that imposes binding rulings with regard to disputes between other editors of the online encyclopedia. The number of active editors in English Wikipedia, by “sharp” comparison, was cited as peaking in 2007 at approximately 50,000 and dropping to 30,000 by the start of 2014.
WikiProjects and assessment
A notable discussion within the English Wikipedia community concerns the preference for national variety of the English language, particularly American English and British English. Conflicts of interest arising from corporate campaigns to influence content have also been highlighted. Concerns have also been raised about systemic bias along gender, racial, political, corporate, institutional, and national lines. Critics have questioned its factual reliability, the readability and organization of its articles, the lack of methodical fact-checking, and its political bias. The free online encyclopedia Wikipedia has been criticized since its creation in 2001. In 2022, for English Wikipedia, Americans accounted for about 40% of active editors, followed by British and Indian editors accounting for about 10% of each, and Canadian and Australian editors at about 5%.
These groups may focus on a specific topic area (for example, women’s history), a specific location or a specific kind of task (for example, checking newly created pages). Most of the criticism has been directed toward its content, community of established volunteer users, process, and rules. These ideas include “featured articles”, the neutral-point-of-view policy, navigation templates, the sorting of short “stub” articles into sub-categories, dispute resolution mechanisms such as mediation and arbitration, and weekly collaborations. The English Wikipedia has the most articles of any edition, at 7,231,899 as of August 2026.b It contains 10.6% of articles in all Wikipedias,b although it lacks millions of articles found in other editions. The English Wikipedia is hosted alongside other language editions by the Wikimedia Foundation, an American nonprofit organization.
