/r/explainlikeIAmA
If you are anything BUT 5 years old, and you're confused by something, this is the place for you.
Now that /r/eli5 clarified that they want simple explanations, (fake) 5-YEAR-OLDS ARE NOW WELCOME TO THE SUBREDDIT. But not in a creepy way.
welcome
Easy Start Guide
Comment: Explain [whatever the topic is] in [whatever the context is].
Post: Explain [whatever] like IAmA/You Are A [anything you want, literally anything, like so literally anything that you can say "nothing" like "the existentialist void" and that is completely acceptable].
Example: Explain how silly putty picks up ink from comics like IAMA Nigerian email scammer slowly falling in love with you.
Rules (READ THESE)
- Don't be an asshole.
- Top-level comments must respond directly to the prompt.
- Top-level comments must be 150 c h a r a c t e r s or more. Posters can allow an exemption by including the [SHORT] tag in the title.
- Top-comments must be your own writing.
- Use proper spelling and grammar unless the question explicitly calls for something else.
- Prompts and responses should be well-thought-out, not low-effort karma-grabs.
- Prompts likely to start flame-wars ("Explain freedom like I'm Donald Trump") may be removed at the mods' discretion.
- Responses that could offend or start a flame war may also be removed. See recommendation 3, below.
- Please clear metaposts with the mods before making them.
- When in doubt, refer to rule 1.
Recommendations
- Answers should be comprehensible to an English-speaker. That is, replying 'WOOF WOOF WOOF' to 'ELIAMA dog' will get your comment removed. Foreign language with translation is fine.
- Prompts should not be 'lazy', as seen in rule 6. That is, no joke prompts such as 'Explain like I am AutoModerator'; these will be removed.
- If what you are writing is liable to offend any group, its satirical point should be clear.
- Remain in character for the duration of your response. This is implied by rule 2.
The mods have the final say in removing posts, comments, or anything not following the rules. Good answers will get love, karma, & a secret present (flair).
Rule-breakers face removal, flair of shame, and/or bans.
How flair works
This sub gives out special kinds of flair that denote different things. Please see the wiki page for information on the various types.
Examples
Here is a list of comments that represent why this sub exists. They're good; read them!
Other Awesome Subreddits
I kinda hope every question ends in "...like I am a stripper"
- jonnybegood
/r/explainlikeIAmA
104,742 Subscribers
Explain the fictional game from "Skies Forever Blue" as an SCP.
*As if it were an SCP
For reference, Skies Forever Blue is a music video corresponding to a song of the same name by Toby Fox and Itoki Hana about a character in a Game Boy Color game who gains self-awareness and falls in love with the player.
(The music video in question: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njgcjGojRKk )
01:07 UTC
Explain the lore of FNAF as if you are Spamton
08:43 UTC
Explain Tik Tok like You're The High Evolutionary From Guardians Of the Galaxy Vol 3 and I'm Rocket Raccoon
03:28 UTC
Explain the villain's plot in Mission: Impossible 2 like I am from a post-scarcity (Star Trek) society.
21:56 UTC
Explain your favorite movie like you're a very sleep deprived Arin Hanson using Siri to compose a text to Danny Sexbang
08:29 UTC
Explain electron configuration like an episode of Metalocalypse
18:42 UTC
Explain the plot of a Marvel movie like you're Ray William Johnson
22:45 UTC
Explain the plot of LA Noire like the writer and producer from Pitch Meetings.
23:58 UTC
Explain like I am training to become the greatest professional wrestler in history. Which is the more devastating finisher: The People's Elbow, The Cobra, or the Worm?
23:32 UTC
Explain Kirby like an SCP
Did one for SpongeBob, now it's Kirby's turn.
Describe kirby as an SCP
Everything about Kirby, from his characteristics and traits to whatever powers, abilities or physiological adaptations he has.
Describe him the same way an SCP gets described.
11:37 UTC
Explain SpongeBob like an SCP
Describe SpongeBob as an SCP
Everything about SpongeBob, from his characteristic and traits to whatever powers, abilities or physiological adaptations he has.
Describe him the same way an SCP gets described.
15:25 UTC
Explain like I'm Einstein: How can an American Football game have 60 minutes on the clock, take 4 hours to watch, and 15 minutes to play all at the same time?
06:51 UTC
Explain how Earth's orbit and tilt cause seasons as if you were a nascar commentator
02:36 UTC
Explain what happened to the moon landing tapes as if you were the host of unsolved mysteries
02:29 UTC
Explain why Donald Trump got impeached as if you were a sports commentator
02:26 UTC
Explain the 2024 "8 day" Boeing Starliner trip to the ISS like you are the title sequence of a Gilligan's Island reboot in space
12:25 UTC
Explain everything wrong with the Tesla Cybertruck like you're Johnny Silverhand from the Cyberpunk universe.
00:08 UTC
Explain the Black Mesa incident from Half Life as if you're Cave Johnson from Portal 2.
12:45 UTC
explain the bee movie but your floweu
22:35 UTC
Explain Project 2025 like I am a traveler from an alternate dimension where Gore won in 2000.
01:28 UTC
Explain why I shouldn't lick my butt in front of guests like I am a human and you are my pet cat
00:57 UTC
Explain why I shouldn't lick my butt in front of guests like I am your pet cat
00:56 UTC
Explain your theory about who Kira is like you're a random reddit detective in the Death Note universe
06:54 UTC
Explain why Pluto isn't a planet anymore like it was a contestant of a reality show
16:35 UTC
Explain Pokemon like you are Michael Jackson and I am a new Pokemon trainer?
18:27 UTC
Explain what's going on with Aurora Borealis lately like you're Principal Skinner and Superintendent Chalmers
03:36 UTC
Explain why the color salmon is bright orange like I'm a nervous salmon.
04:38 UTC
explain why magneto or prof X is right, but I'm a magic user and you are not getting I'm not a mutant.
16:25 UTC
Explain the difference between anxious and nervous
I have adhd and autism so i often take things literally. I tried to search it up on Google but the results were really vague and confusing. Please be detailed as possible when answering.
17:10 UTC
Explain TTRPGs like I'm a 19th century British Anthropologist who will write a five part encyclopedia about it that will be misinterpreted for the next 200 years.
"Hmmm, so these 20 sided stones control your fate, yes?"
23:47 UTC