About ELI10
We explain things. Properly. Without being confusing about it.
What is this?
ELI10 is a library of plain-English explanations for complicated things. Science, money, technology, history, space, nature — whatever's confusing you, we've probably got an explanation. And if we haven't, you can ask us.
The name comes from "Explain Like I'm 10" — because if something can't be explained to a 10-year-old, there's a good chance the person explaining it doesn't fully understand it themselves.
We're British. We use British spelling. We drink tea. We think school should be brilliant, not boring.
The Three Laws
Every explanation on this site follows these rules. No exceptions.
No jargon. Ever.
If a word wouldn't make sense to a 10-year-old, it gets replaced with one that does. We never hide behind technical language.
Use real analogies.
Every hard idea gets connected to something you already understand — pizza, football, Minecraft, whatever works.
Keep it honest.
Simple doesn't mean dumbed down. We never sacrifice accuracy — we just refuse to be confusing about it.
Want to read something?
Dive into the full library, or ask us to explain something new.