wiki

IPA/ˈwɪki/
KK[wˈɪkˌi]IPA/ˈwɪki/

wiki — noun

  • wikisingular
  • wikisplural

1. a website that lets many visitors work together by adding, removing, or editing

1.nounB1
Definition

a website that lets many visitors work together by adding, removing, or editing the content on its pages

Example

Andrei updated the class wiki with notes from yesterday's lecture.

collocation: updated the [topic] wiki

The hiking club created a wiki to share trail maps and safety tips.

collocation: created a wiki to share [information]

Common collocations
  • create a wiki
  • edit a wiki
  • wiki page
  • wiki article
  • on a wiki
  • start a wiki
  • update a wiki
Synonyms
  • collaborative website

    more formal; describes the function rather than the specific technology

  • knowledge base

    broader meaning — can refer to any shared information repository, not necessarily editable by all users

Grammar Patterns

[determiner] + wiki

wiki + noun (attributive)

on + [determiner] + wiki

Usage Note

Countable noun. Frequently used attributively before another noun (e.g. 'wiki page', 'wiki software', 'wiki system'). Unlike normal websites, a wiki allows visitors to change its content without needing technical skills.

Common Mistakes

Wiki is a website for editing content.
A wiki is a type of website for editing content.
'wiki' is a countable noun and needs an article (a/an/the) in singular form.
I looked it up on Wikipedia, and the wiki is very helpful.
I looked it up on Wikipedia, and the article is very helpful.
'Wikipedia' is a specific wiki; do not use 'wiki' to mean a single article within it.

Word family

  • wikify
    verbC1
  • wikification
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A wiki, an encyclopedia, a blog, and a forum are all websites that provide information, but they differ in who can create and change the content. A wiki lets any visitor add or edit pages, making it a shared project that grows over time. An encyclopedia (such as Wikipedia or Britannica) is traditionally written by experts and checked for accuracy; readers can view but not change the content. A blog is usually written by one person or a small team sharing opinions or news, and readers can only leave comments. A forum is a place where users post questions and replies in discussions, but each post stays as originally written. For example, use a wiki when your team wants to build a shared knowledge base together; use an encyclopedia when you need facts reviewed by experts.

wiki ↗encyclopedia ↗blog ↗forum ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • create a wiki
  • edit a wiki
  • start a wiki
  • update a wiki
  • a wiki on [topic]

Prepositions

Etymology

HawaiianEnglish

The word 'wiki' comes from the Hawaiian phrase 'wiki wiki,' meaning 'fast' or 'quick.' Computer programmer Ward Cunningham chose this name in 1995 when he created the first wiki software, WikiWikiWeb, to suggest how quickly and easily people could edit pages together.