Can I share a link to my product or blog in a comment?
Yes, but only if they include an original explanation or summary, not just quoted text, and you must cite any text you quote. The rule is under top-level comments must be written explanations.
Subreddit guides
r/explainlikeimfive rules, stats, and what to post
A source-backed Rankhog guide to r/explainlikeimfive: public rules, community context, posting fit, and startup-promotion risk before you publish.
By Anthony Riera, founder and operator of Rankhog.
Subreddit guides combine public Reddit source URLs, captured rules, visible verification dates, and Rankhog's account-safety workflow.
Current public stats
- Members
- 23,658,637
- Verified
- September 8, 2026
- Category
- Entrepreneur advice and questions
Rules can change, so Rankhog keeps verification dates and the original public Reddit sources visible.
Rule summary
- Be Civil: Stay respectful, polite, and friendly. ELI5 is a for requesting help understanding complex concepts and sharing explanations [without fear of judgement](/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/j28z5/welcome/). Don't insult people or their good intentions in a post, comment, or otherwise, even if a person seems rude or ill-informed. Remember the positive spirit of ELI5. This includes plagiarism - acknowledge your sources! Use of bigoted slurs, directed at other users or not, is uncivil.
- All submissions must seek objective explanations: ELI5 is not meant for any question that you may have. It is meant for simplifying complex *concepts*. Notably, posts will be immediately removed that ask for: - Information about a specific issue (personal experience, legal/relationship questions, medical questions, etc.) - Subjective/speculative replies - Straightforward answers/facts - Recent/current events - Religion/Politics - Hypotheticals - Reddit questions (itself/help). - Whole topic overviews - Business/Group/Individual motivations
- Top-level comments must be written explanations: Replies to OP must be written explanations or relevant follow-up questions. They may not be jokes, anecdotes, etc. Short/succinct answers are not explanations, even if factually correct. Links to outside sources are allowed and encouraged, but must include an original explanation (not just quoted text) or summary. Links to relevant previous ELI5 posts or highly relevant other subreddits may be excepted. No plagiarism. All quoted text must be cited. No Bots/AI. This list is not comprehensive
- Explain for laypeople (but not actual 5-year-olds): Unless OP states otherwise, assume no knowledge beyond a typical secondary education program. Avoid unexplained technical terms. Don't condescend; "like I'm five" is a figure of speech meaning "keep it clear and simple."
- ELI5 is for factual information, not opinions: All comments must explain, ask about, correct or address facts. Trying to change someone's opinion or influence them with yours is not appropriate. If you are not able to submit, discuss or correct factual information without implicitly or explicitly involving your personal view on the matter, do not post.
- Loaded questions are not allowed: A loaded question presumes a controversial or not obviously true statement as fact. "ELI5: Why was Obama the president when he wasn't born in the US?" is loaded. "ELI5: The controversy about where Obama was born" is a non-loaded way to ask about the same topic. If your question boils down to: "Why isn't this thing I believe (or is self evidently true) the case?" your question is loaded and belongs in another subreddit.
- Search before posting; don't repeat old posts: To avoid repeats, search key words ("storm" for "How do Thunderstorms Form?"), not the whole title. If you found only explanations that weren't clear on your point, explain that, and state what you're still trying to understand. “Old posts” refers to questions older than one year. If there are posts on the topic in that timeframe you must explain why those posts do not answer the question. You can read more on our reposts policy [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/wiki/reposts).
- Don't guess: If you don't know how to explain something, you don't need to reply. If you have a partly educated guess, only comment on the parts you are sure of.
- Don't try to trick the bot: If the automatic moderator removes your post, read the whole message it gives you, and follow its advice. It's there to help, not to be evaded — evasion will result in a ban.
- Posts must begin with "ELI5:": This is meant to help identify ELI5 posts on the frontpage or /r/all or any other collection. --- Questions *must* be clear from the post title. If you need to explain it in the text body, you probably need to rephrase. --- Moderation decisions are ultimately left up to the discretion of the ELI5 modteam. Do not try to find loopholes in the rules and sneak through them. Above all else, respect the spirit of the subreddit.
- Link to the Detailed Rules: https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/wiki/detailed_rules/ Here is a link to the detailed rules which are not character constrained. The above rules are a summary.
Works well
- A question titled ELI5: How does X work in Y industry, where X is a real concept and the title stands alone with no extra body text needed.
- A top-level comment that explains a complex concept in two or three plain paragraphs, cites a source, and adds a one-line link to a relevant article with a short original summary.
- A follow-up question in a reply that asks for clarification on a specific part of an explanation, staying factual and neutral.
- Searching the subreddit first, then posting a fresh angle on a topic last covered more than a year ago, with a sentence noting why prior answers were incomplete.
Avoid
- Starting a post title without the exact prefix ELI5.
- Asking about current events, politics, religion, hypotheticals, or personal situations.
- Posting a question that has already been asked in the past year without explaining why prior answers were insufficient.
- Dropping a link in a comment without writing your own original explanation alongside it.
- Using AI or bots to generate any comment or post.
- Phrasing a question that assumes a controversial claim is already true, which the mods call a loaded question.
What actually works in r/explainlikeimfive
These are the highest scoring posts Rankhog observed in r/explainlikeimfive over the past month, with what each one did differently. Rankhog watches this community continuously, so it sees posts when they are published and again as they climb.
- Upvotes
- 2.8k
- Comments
- 196
- Posted
- Sep 8, 2026
Why it worked
- Asks the community a question instead of announcing something
- Upvotes
- 2.5k
- Comments
- 199
- Posted
- Sep 10, 2026
Why it worked
- Asks the community a question instead of announcing something
- Upvotes
- 2.5k
- Comments
- 567
- Posted
- Sep 6, 2026
Why it worked
- Asks the community a question instead of announcing something
- Upvotes
- 2.4k
- Comments
- 401
- Posted
- Sep 7, 2026
Why it worked
- Asks the community a question instead of announcing something
- Upvotes
- 2.4k
- Comments
- 373
- Posted
- Sep 11, 2026
Why it worked
- Asks the community a question instead of announcing something
- Kept short enough to read in one pass
- Upvotes
- 2.2k
- Comments
- 223
- Posted
- Sep 7, 2026
Why it worked
- Asks the community a question instead of announcing something
- Upvotes
- 2.2k
- Comments
- 319
- Posted
- Sep 11, 2026
Why it worked
- Asks the community a question instead of announcing something
- Upvotes
- 2.0k
- Comments
- 584
- Posted
- Sep 9, 2026
Why it worked
- Asks the community a question instead of announcing something
- Upvotes
- 1.9k
- Comments
- 541
- Posted
- Sep 6, 2026
Why it worked
- Asks the community a question instead of announcing something
- Upvotes
- 1.8k
- Comments
- 350
- Posted
- Sep 4, 2026
Why it worked
- Asks the community a question instead of announcing something
What r/explainlikeimfive Is For
This community is a forum where anyone can ask for a layperson-friendly explanation of a complex concept and anyone can answer in plain language. The description says it is the best forum and archive on the internet for layperson-friendly explanations. People post there to understand things, not to promote anything or to debate opinions. The rules make clear that questions must seek objective explanations of concepts, not personal advice, opinions, or overviews.
Rules That Matter Before Posting
The rule most likely to catch a marketer off guard is all submissions must seek objective explanations, because it bans whole topic overviews and business or group motivations outright. The rule posts must begin with ELI5 will remove anything missing that prefix. The rule search before posting; don't repeat old posts means a question asked in the last year will be pulled unless you explain why prior answers missed your point. The rule top-level comments must be written explanations blocks bare links and jokes, and the rule ELI5 is for factual information, not opinions stops anyone from steering the conversation toward a product or viewpoint.
What To Post
A good post here is a question about a genuinely complex concept that you want simplified, written clearly in the title with the prefix ELI5 and no need for extra text body context. Before posting, search the subreddit for key words to make sure the same question has not been asked in the past year. If it has, explain in your post why the old answers did not satisfy you. A good top-level comment is a factual, original explanation written in plain language for a layperson, with any outside link accompanied by your own summary and proper citation of quoted text. For a founder, the honest move is to answer questions in your area of expertise thoroughly and factually, with no product pitch, and only link to your own content if it directly supports the explanation and you write an original summary around it.
What To Avoid
Do not ask about personal situations, legal or medical matters, current events, politics, religion, or hypotheticals, because the second rule removes those immediately. Do not ask for whole topic overviews or about business, group, or individual motivations. Do not post a loaded question that assumes a controversial claim is already true. Do not repeat a question asked in the last year without explaining why prior answers fell short. Do not leave a bare link in a comment, because every top-level reply must be a written explanation. Do not use AI or bots. Do not try to evade the automoderator, because the rule don't try to trick the bot says evasion will result in a ban. Do not guess if you are not sure of the answer, because the rule don't guess tells you to skip replying entirely.
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Common questions about r/explainlikeimfive
Do I need to search before posting my question?
Search the subreddit using key words first. If a similar question exists from the past year, you must explain why those posts do not answer your specific question. The rule is called search before posting; don't repeat old posts.
Can my post title include extra text after the ELI5 prefix?
The rule posts must begin with ELI5 requires that questions are clear from the title alone. If you need the text body to explain the question, you should rephrase the title.
Is AI-assisted writing allowed if I review it before posting?
No. The rules state no bots or AI, and violations are described as bannable offenses. You must write every explanation yourself.
