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interwiki-si mw-list-item"><a href="https://si.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B7%80%E0%B7%92%E0%B6%9A%E0%B7%92%E0%B6%B4%E0%B7%93%E0%B6%A9%E0%B7%92%E0%B6%BA%E0%B7%8F:Vagueness" title="විකිපීඩියා:Vagueness – Sinhala" lang="si" hreflang="si" data-title="විකිපීඩියා:Vagueness" data-language-autonym="සිංහල" data-language-local-name="Sinhala" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>සිංහල</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ur mw-list-item"><a href="https://ur.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%88%DB%8C%DA%A9%DB%8C%D9%BE%DB%8C%DA%88%DB%8C%D8%A7:%D8%A7%D8%A8%DB%81%D8%A7%D9%85" title="ویکیپیڈیا:ابہام – Urdu" lang="ur" hreflang="ur" data-title="ویکیپیڈیا:ابہام" data-language-autonym="اردو" data-language-local-name="Urdu" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>اردو</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-vi mw-list-item"><a href="https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:M%E1%BA%ADp_m%E1%BB%9D" title="Wikipedia:Mập mờ – Vietnamese" lang="vi" hreflang="vi" data-title="Wikipedia:Mập mờ" 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searchaux" style="display:none">Essay on editing Wikipedia</div><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238436933">.mw-parser-output .ombox{margin:4px 0;border-collapse:collapse;border:1px solid #a2a9b1;background-color:var(--background-color-neutral-subtle,#f8f9fa);box-sizing:border-box;color:var(--color-base,#202122)}.mw-parser-output .ombox.mbox-small{font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em}.mw-parser-output .ombox-speedy{border:2px solid #b32424;background-color:#fee7e6}.mw-parser-output .ombox-delete{border:2px solid #b32424}.mw-parser-output .ombox-content{border:1px solid #f28500}.mw-parser-output .ombox-style{border:1px solid #fc3}.mw-parser-output .ombox-move{border:1px solid #9932cc}.mw-parser-output .ombox-protection{border:2px solid #a2a9b1}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-text{border:none;padding:0.25em 0.9em;width:100%}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-image{border:none;padding:2px 0 2px 0.9em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-imageright{border:none;padding:2px 0.9em 2px 0;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-empty-cell{border:none;padding:0;width:1px}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-invalid-type{text-align:center}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .ombox{margin:4px 10%}.mw-parser-output .ombox.mbox-small{clear:right;float:right;margin:4px 0 4px 1em;width:238px}}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output table.ombox img{max-width:none!important}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .ombox-speedy{background-color:#310402}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .ombox-speedy{background-color:#310402}}</style><table class="plainlinks ombox ombox-notice" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/Essay.svg/30px-Essay.svg.png" decoding="async" width="30" height="36" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/Essay.svg/45px-Essay.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/Essay.svg/60px-Essay.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="35" data-file-height="42"/></span></span></td><td class="mbox-text"><div style="padding-top: 6px; padding-bottom: 5px;"><b>This is an <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Essays" title="Wikipedia:Essays">essay</a>.</b><br/><div style="font-size: 90%;">It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Policies_and_guidelines" title="Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines">Wikipedia's policies or guidelines</a>, as it has not been <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Consensus#Levels_of_consensus" title="Wikipedia:Consensus">thoroughly vetted by the community</a>. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints.</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238436933"><table class="plainlinks ombox ombox-notice nutshell" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Walnut.png/30px-Walnut.png" decoding="async" width="30" height="30" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Walnut.png/45px-Walnut.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Walnut.png/60px-Walnut.png 2x" data-file-width="192" data-file-height="192"/></span></span></td><td class="mbox-text"><b>This page in a nutshell:</b> Try to use clear and well-defined words in all articles.</td></tr></tbody></table> <p>This essay describes ways in which writing is often considered to be <b>vague</b>, and then discusses strategies to avoid such problems and fix affected articles. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc"/> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="Pronouns" data-mw-thread-id="h-Pronouns"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Pronouns"></span>Pronouns<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Pronouns"></span></h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Vagueness&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Pronouns"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><a href="/wiki/Pronouns" class="mw-redirect" title="Pronouns">Pronouns</a> allow writers to refer back to a noun without repeating it. However, this can confuse the readers if it is not clear what the pronoun is standing in for. </p><p>In <a href="/wiki/John_McCain" title="John McCain">John McCain</a>'s article: </p><p><b>Wrong:</b> <span class="example deprecated-content example-bad" style="font-family: Georgia, 'DejaVu Serif', serif; color: var(--color-content-removed, #8B0000);">Palin was picked as his running mate.</span> (<i>Whose?</i>) </p><p><b>Better:</b> <span class="example" style="font-family: Georgia, 'DejaVu Serif', serif; color: var(--color-content-added, #006400);">John McCain picked Sarah Palin as his running mate.</span> </p><p>In the <a href="/wiki/Salton_Sea" title="Salton Sea">Salton Sea</a> article: </p><p><b>Wrong:</b> <span class="example deprecated-content example-bad" style="font-family: Georgia, 'DejaVu Serif', serif; color: var(--color-content-removed, #8B0000);">For decades they have contaminated the lake.</span> (<i>What?</i>) </p><p><b>Better:</b> <span class="example" style="font-family: Georgia, 'DejaVu Serif', serif; color: var(--color-content-added, #006400);">Katherine uncovered that the oil refinery was contaminating the nearby lake with waste, possibly for decades.</span> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="Numbers_without_things" data-mw-thread-id="h-Numbers_without_things"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Numbers_without_things"></span>Numbers without things<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Numbers_without_things"></span></h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Vagueness&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Numbers without things"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>When describing quantities of things, repetitions of events, or trying to convey statistical information in prose, <i>specify the unit</i>. Imagine that someone who has no idea what the subject is sees the sentence out of context: they should be able to work out what you are talking about without the context. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="Vague_words_and_incorrect_statements" data-mw-thread-id="h-Vague_words_and_incorrect_statements"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Vague_words_and_incorrect_statements"></span>Vague words and incorrect statements<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Vague_words_and_incorrect_statements"></span></h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Vagueness&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Vague words and incorrect statements"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Devil%27s_portrait,_Herman_the_Recluse,_Codex_Gigas,_Benedictine_monastery_of_Podla%C5%BEice,_early_13th_century.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Devil%27s_portrait%2C_Herman_the_Recluse%2C_Codex_Gigas%2C_Benedictine_monastery_of_Podla%C5%BEice%2C_early_13th_century.jpg/220px-Devil%27s_portrait%2C_Herman_the_Recluse%2C_Codex_Gigas%2C_Benedictine_monastery_of_Podla%C5%BEice%2C_early_13th_century.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="324" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Devil%27s_portrait%2C_Herman_the_Recluse%2C_Codex_Gigas%2C_Benedictine_monastery_of_Podla%C5%BEice%2C_early_13th_century.jpg/330px-Devil%27s_portrait%2C_Herman_the_Recluse%2C_Codex_Gigas%2C_Benedictine_monastery_of_Podla%C5%BEice%2C_early_13th_century.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Devil%27s_portrait%2C_Herman_the_Recluse%2C_Codex_Gigas%2C_Benedictine_monastery_of_Podla%C5%BEice%2C_early_13th_century.jpg/440px-Devil%27s_portrait%2C_Herman_the_Recluse%2C_Codex_Gigas%2C_Benedictine_monastery_of_Podla%C5%BEice%2C_early_13th_century.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1250" data-file-height="1843"/></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:TROLL" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:TROLL">Evil</a> – Wikipedians often use vague words and phrases in their incorrect and <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:BIAS" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:BIAS">biased</a> articles. Be on the lookout.</figcaption></figure> <p>When used sincerely, vague words make an article confusing and possibly make readers misinterpret or even miss important information altogether. In the hands of those with more sinister intents, vague words can currently be used to make articles that are readable enough to impart wrong or biased information but confusing enough to prevent readers from questioning the reliability or factuality of the article. Vandals can also vandalize an article by replacing specific information with vague statements. Always use <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources" title="Wikipedia:Citing sources">citations</a>, especially when – for whatever reason – you must use somewhat vague words. Doing this helps Wikipedia become more reliable and accurate. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="How_to_improve_vague_articles" data-mw-thread-id="h-How_to_improve_vague_articles"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-How_to_improve_vague_articles"></span>How to improve vague articles<span data-mw-comment-end="h-How_to_improve_vague_articles"></span></h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Vagueness&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: How to improve vague articles"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>When you come across an article that is very vague, begin by replacing vague statements with clearer facts. If you lack the time or the expertise to do so, use one of the tags below and go on reading. </p> <table class="wikitable"> <tbody><tr> <th>Tag </th> <th width="100%">Template that will be shown (and correct usage) </th></tr> <tr> <td style="white-space:nowrap;vertical-align:top;"><span class="nowrap">{{</span><a href="/wiki/Template:Cleanup-confusing" class="mw-redirect" title="Template:Cleanup-confusing">cleanup-confusing</a><span class="nowrap">}}</span><br/><span class="plainlinksneverexpand"><small><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:cleanup-confusing&limit=500">links</a> <a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Cleanup-confusing" title="Template talk:Cleanup-confusing">talk</a> <a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Cleanup-confusing&action=edit">edit</a></small></span> </td> <td><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1251242444">.mw-parser-output .ambox{border:1px solid #a2a9b1;border-left:10px solid #36c;background-color:#fbfbfb;box-sizing:border-box}.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+link+.ambox{margin-top:-1px}html body.mediawiki .mw-parser-output .ambox.mbox-small-left{margin:4px 1em 4px 0;overflow:hidden;width:238px;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em}.mw-parser-output .ambox-speedy{border-left:10px solid #b32424;background-color:#fee7e6}.mw-parser-output .ambox-delete{border-left:10px solid #b32424}.mw-parser-output .ambox-content{border-left:10px solid #f28500}.mw-parser-output .ambox-style{border-left:10px solid #fc3}.mw-parser-output .ambox-move{border-left:10px solid #9932cc}.mw-parser-output .ambox-protection{border-left:10px solid #a2a9b1}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-text{border:none;padding:0.25em 0.5em;width:100%}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image{border:none;padding:2px 0 2px 0.5em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-imageright{border:none;padding:2px 0.5em 2px 0;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-empty-cell{border:none;padding:0;width:1px}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image-div{width:52px}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .ambox{margin:0 10%}}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .ambox{display:none!important}}</style><table class="box-Confusing plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-style ambox-confusing" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f2/Edit-clear.svg/40px-Edit-clear.svg.png" decoding="async" width="40" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f2/Edit-clear.svg/60px-Edit-clear.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f2/Edit-clear.svg/80px-Edit-clear.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="48" data-file-height="48"/></span></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This article <b>may be <a class="mw-selflink selflink">confusing or unclear</a> to readers</b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify" title="Wikipedia:Please clarify">clarify the article</a>. There might be a discussion about this on <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:Vagueness" title="Wikipedia talk:Vagueness">the talk page</a>.</span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <ul><li>Use this in an article that contains vague time words.</li></ul> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="white-space:nowrap;vertical-align:top;"><span class="nowrap">{{</span><a href="/wiki/Template:Vague" title="Template:Vague">vague</a><span class="nowrap">}}</span><br/><span class="plainlinksneverexpand"><small><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:vague&limit=500">links</a> <a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Vague" title="Template talk:Vague">talk</a> <a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Vague&action=edit">edit</a></small></span> </td> <td><sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="margin-left:0.1em; white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a class="mw-selflink selflink"><span title="This information is too vague.">vague</span></a></i>]</sup> <ul><li>Use this for specific words or statements that are vague.</li></ul> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="white-space:nowrap;vertical-align:top;"><span class="nowrap">{{</span><a href="/wiki/Template:Specify" title="Template:Specify">Specify</a><span class="nowrap">}}</span><br/><span class="plainlinksneverexpand"><small><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:Specify&limit=500">links</a> <a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Specify" title="Template talk:Specify">talk</a> <a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Specify&action=edit">edit</a></small></span> </td> <td><sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources" title="Wikipedia:Citing sources"><span title="Statement needs to be more specific about the content to which it refers.">specify</span></a></i>]</sup> <ul><li>Use on an individual word whose meaning remains vague in its context.</li></ul> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="white-space:nowrap;vertical-align:top;"><span class="nowrap">{{</span><a href="/wiki/Template:When" title="Template:When">when</a><span class="nowrap">}}</span><br/><span class="plainlinksneverexpand"><small><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Whatlinkshere/Template:when&limit=500">links</a> <a href="/wiki/Template_talk:When" title="Template talk:When">talk</a> <a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:When&action=edit">edit</a></small></span> </td> <td><sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Dates_and_numbers#Chronological_items" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers"><span title="The time period mentioned near this tag is ambiguous.">when?</span></a></i>]</sup> <ul><li>Use on phrases needing a specific date.</li></ul> </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="See_also" data-mw-thread-id="h-See_also"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-See_also"></span>See also<span data-mw-comment-end="h-See_also"></span></h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Vagueness&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style_(dates_and_numbers)#Chronological_items" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style (dates and numbers)">Chronological Items, Wikipedia:Manual of Style</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style#Unnecessary_vagueness" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style">Vagueness, Wikipedia:Manual of Style</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:WEASEL" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:WEASEL">Avoid weasel words</a></li></ul>    </div><noscript><img src="https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; 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