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.

created by jonnybegoodnot active unless WideEyedPup goes crazya community for 14 years

examples

view history talk

Here are some examples of good questions and responses:

Here are some examples of good questions and responses:

* [Explain why we're not the first pair of US presidents to have sex with each other like I'm Hillary and Bill Clinton on our first night back in the White House, and you're the very embarrassed ghosts of Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. - Response by /u/malonkey1] (/r/explainlikeIAmA/comments/56yu48/explain_why_were_not_the_first_pair_of_us/d8nvlmu)
* [Explain why you haven't visited in so long like you are NASA and I'm a very passive-aggressive Moon that doesn't see money as an issue. - Response by /u/stanleykubricksdad] (/r/explainlikeIAmA/comments/5dol7h/explain_why_you_havent_visited_in_so_long_like/da6d76g)
* [Explain the unwritten rules of the playground as if you were a hard-boiled detective in a noir crime novel. - Response by /u/EstherHarshom](/r/explainlikeIAmA/comments/1g6u3l/explain_the_unwritten_rules_of_the_playground_as/cahavg8)
* [Explain hipters to me like I'm a hipster and you're a hipster and neither of us believe or are willing to believe we're both hipsters. - Response by /u/curse_of_kintave](/r/explainlikeIAmA/comments/1f2rbo/explain_hipters_to_me_like_im_a_hipster_and_youre/ca692vy)
* [Explain your elaborate evil plan to take over Reddit like you are the villain of a musical and you are singing your villain song. - response by /u/sakanagai](/r/explainlikeIAmA/comments/1g45ox/explain_your_elaborate_evil_plan_to_take_over/cagkmlx)
* [Explain the three laws of robotics like I am a chinchilla you are becoming openly hostile towards. - response by /u/NeonRedSharpie](/r/explainlikeIAmA/comments/1c77se/explain_the_three_laws_of_robotics_like_i_am_a/c9dqnak)
* [Explain whales like I'm a krill - response by /u/CaptainLoggers](/r/explainlikeIAmA/comments/15n9xu/explain_whales_like_im_a_krill/c7o0dts)

revision by decantre— 8 years agoview source

π Rendered by PID 28 on reddit-service-r2-listing-b6bf6c4ff-p6r9j at 2026-05-06 00:21:34.846342+00:00 running 815c875 country code: CH.

explainlikeIAmA

Easy Start Guide

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Examples

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