Wiktionary:Frequent problems
![]() |
This page is no longer active. It is being kept for historical interest. |
No discussion is needed to revive this page; simply remove the {{inactive}} tag and bring it up to date.
|
This page is intended to serve both as a tutorial for newcomers and a reference for more experienced editors. It describes common errors and other problems encountered on the English Wiktionary. Some of these problems are simple and easy to correct, while others are more difficult to manage, but all are encountered with some regularity. Along with each problem are included suggestions for experienced editors in how to approach newcomers who have made such errors (often unknowingly).
The general recommendation is to fix it if you know how. It you are not sure, ask at WT:INFO or WT:Tea Room.
Omissions
editSome desirable and required items are frequently omitted from new entries or edits.
- Language headers
- A language header is required for all entries on Wiktionary. (Use
{{rfd}}
or{{rfc}}
if you can't determine the language.)
- Part of speech header
- A part of speech (PoS) header is required for all entries on Wiktionary. (Use
{{rfd}}
or{{rfc}}
if you can't determine the PoS.)
- Headword
- A headword is required for all entries on Wiktionary. Headwords are generated using
{{head}}
or other templates, not just by using'''
to bold the text.
- Disambiguation glosses
- All Wiktionary translation sections should be broken into a series of tables, one for each sense that has translations, each table being headed by a disambiguation gloss (using
{{trans-top}}
). - Similarly, lists of synonyms, antonyms, and so on should be headed with a short gloss (using
{{sense}}
).
Inappropriate content
editSome users add context that does not qualify for inclusion under our guidelines (see WT:CFI).
- Experimental editing
- Some new users create or edit content experimentally, often with unintended results. New users may be unaware of how to correct such problems they have created.
- For mistaken pages, the
{{delete}}
tag can be used to mark mistaken pages for speedy deletion.
- For experimental editing, the
{{test}}
template may be subst'd on a new user's talk page, but please sign in case the user has questions.
- Protologisms
- move content to Appendix:Protologisms
- Prescriptivism/purism/stickler-ism
- Wiktionary definitions reflect how words are used, not how they should be used. (
{{rfc}}
)
Language-related problems
edit- Confusion of transcription and pronunciation
{{rfp}}
- Wrong script
- Use templates or
{{rfc}}
)
Links and redirects
edit- Wikilink omission
- Pages containing no wikilinks are not counted as "good entries" by the software that tallies our page total. Add useful wikilink.
- Redirects
Other common problems
edit- Capitalization
- Use
{{alt form of}}
,{{rfm}}
, or merge missing content into an existing page with correct capitalization.
- Singular form of standard headers
- Some users will add Synonym instead of Synonyms or Usage note instead of Usage notes. The plural forms are standard and should always be used, even if only one item is listed.
- This problem can be ignored unless a user does it as a matter of course, since a bot will fix the header. If a user does commit this error as a matter of course, a polite note on his user talk page can instruct him otherwise.
- Adding duplicate content