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Wikipedia:Categories for discussion

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Categories for discussion (CfD) is the central venue for discussing specific proposals to delete, merge, rename, or split categories and stub types in accordance with the guidelines for categorization, category naming, and stub articles.

For general discussion about the category system, use other appropriate venues such as Wikipedia talk:Categorization, Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Categories, and relevant WikiProjects' talk pages.

How to use CfD

For detailed instructions about using CfD, see § How to nominate a category for discussion below. Briefly, nominations are handled through one of two processes:

  1. Speedy renaming and merging, for uncontroversial proposals that meet specified criteria—see § Speedy renaming and merging below.
  2. Full discussion, for all other proposals. Discussions typically remain open for at least seven days and are closed once a rough consensus has formed or no objections to the nomination are raised.

exclamation mark  Important: In general, do not depopulate a category when nominating it for CfD. If, during (or just prior to) the discussion, you modify the population of a category, or in other ways edit the category while it is subject to a CfD discussion, note that you did so in the CfD (for transparency), and be prepared to revert your edits upon community request. Such editing can hamper other editors' efforts to evaluate a category and participate in the discussion.

If you have an issue with a CfD closure, and discussion on the CfD closer's talk page does not resolve the issue, the process at Wikipedia:Deletion review is used to ask the community to review a CfD closure (as long as all steps are followed), to determine whether or not the close was reasonable and consistent with the spirit and intent of common practice, policies, and guidelines.

Wikipedia:Move review is used for a CfD closure that is limited in scope to renaming.

Current discussions

Add a new entry

Closing procedure

After seven days, an administrator (or possibly a non-admin) will determine if consensus has formed, and close the discussion. If appropriate, the discussion instead may be relisted to allow for more discussion. Editors closing discussions must follow the administrator instructions and implement the result or log it at the Working page to ensure it is implemented. As noted at Wikipedia:Deletion process#Non-administrators closing discussions, non-admins may follow the process at Wikipedia talk:Categories for discussion/Working, and list discussion results there for an admin to review, and to log to the page directly.

Discussions awaiting closure

XFD backlog
V Dec Jan Feb Mar Total
CfD 0 0 133 31 164
TfD 0 1 0 2 3
MfD 0 0 0 1 1
FfD 0 3 11 5 19
RfD 0 0 49 27 76
AfD 0 0 0 33 33

How to nominate a category for discussion

Shortcut

Nomination procedure

Twinkle

You may use Twinkle to facilitate CfD nominations. To install Twinkle, go to Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-gadgets and check "Twinkle" in the "Browsing" section. Use the now-installed "XfD" (Start a deletion discussion) tab while viewing the page you want to nominate.

Twinkle only allows you to nominate a single category or stub template. For bundled nominations including multiple categories, see § MassCFD.

MassCFD

You can use the script User:Qwerfjkl/scripts/massXFD to automatically make mass nominations.

Manual nominations

I
Preliminary steps.

Before nominating a category:

In the following special cases:

  • If a category is a red link, then it is already deleted (or was never created in the first place) and does not need to be nominated.
  • If a category is unpopulated, use {{db-catempty}} to request it be speedily deleted in 7 days. Note that some project categories may be empty as part of their typical process cycle.
  • Before nominating a project category (even if empty!), check Special:WhatLinksHere, to see if the category is (or has been) populated by a template, and if so (or even if the populating template has been deleted), note the template name(s) in the CfD nomination.

For further information, see Wikipedia:Categorization and Wikipedia:Manual of Style.

II
Edit the category.

Add one of the following templates at the beginning of the category page (not the talk page) of every category to be discussed. For nominations involving large numbers of categories, help adding these templates can be requested here.

Otherwise, if nominating a single category:
If nominating a group of related categories, use a bundled nomination:
  • For deleting, use {{subst:Cfd|CfD section name}}
  • For merging, use {{subst:Cfm|Other category|CfD section name}}
    • For merging to two categories, use {{subst:Cfm-double|Other category 1|Other category 2|CfD section name}}
  • For renaming, use {{subst:Cfr|Proposed name|CfD section name}}
  • For splitting, use {{subst:Cfs|Proposed name 1|Proposed name 2|CfD section name}}
  • For converting the category into a list, {{subst:Cfl|Proposed name|CfD section name}}
  • For other options (containerization, etc.), use {{subst:Cfd|type=nature of proposed discussion|CfD section name}} (see Template:Cfd/doc#Optional parameter)
  • Include "CfD", "CfM", "CfR", "CfS" or "CfL" in the edit summary, and do not mark the edit as minor. Preview before saving.
  • To add the template for previous nomination days, use the "full" version of the template by appending "full" to the template name, i.e. {{cfd full}}, {{cfm full}}, {{cfr full}}, {{cfs full}} and {{cfl full}}. Use the |day=, |month= and |year= parameters to make the banner link to the correct CfD page.
  • Consider adding {{subst:cfd notice|Category name|2026 March 10|CfD section name}} ~~~~ to the talk page of the category's creator.
  • For details about these templates, see each template's documentation.
III
Create the CFD section.

Click THIS LINK to edit the section of CfD for today's entries.

Follow the instructions (visible in edit mode) to copy and paste one of the templates below. When inserting category names into these template's parameters, except the text= parameter, omit the Category: prefix and do not use wikilinks, as the template takes care of this.

If nominating a single category:
  • For deleting, use {{subst:Cfd2|Obsolete category|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed deletion. ~~~~}}
  • For merging, use {{subst:Cfm2|Origin category|Destination category|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed merge. ~~~~}}
    • For merging to two categories, use {{subst:Cfm2|Origin category|Destination category 1|target2=Destination category 2|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed merge. ~~~~}}
  • For renaming, use {{subst:Cfr2|Current category|Proposed name|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed rename. ~~~~}}
  • For splitting, use {{subst:Cfs2|Current category|Proposed category 1|Proposed category 2|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed split. ~~~~}}
  • For converting the category into a list, use {{subst:Cfc2|Current category|Proposed article|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed conversion. ~~~~}}
  • For other options (containerization, etc.), use {{subst:Cfd2|Current category|type=other type|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed conversion. ~~~~}}
For a bundled nomination, use one of the standard templates to build the "Cfd section name" for the first nominated category. After saving that, the second and subsequent nominations must be inserted manually, as follows:
==== Cfd section name ====
* 1st category
* 2nd category [Make clear whether you propose deletion, merging or renaming]
* Your reason for nominating the categories, and signature.
  • If a bundled nomination is too long, consider using {{hidden}} to hide some of the nominated categories.
  • In your reason, use links if mentioning articles or categories. To link to a category, use the colon trick by adding a colon (:) to the beginning of the link, e.g. [[:Category:Foo]].
  • Preview before saving to check that your nomination is formatted correctly, and remember to include your signature at the end of the nomination.

Stub types

I
Preliminary steps.

In general, a stub type consists of a stub template and a dedicated stub category. Before nominating a stub type for deletion, merging or renaming:

  • Read and understand guidance for creating stub types and stub type naming conventions.
  • Review the list of existing stub types—be advised, this list may not be comprehensive.
  • If you wish to:
    • Create a new stub type—follow the procedure for proposing new stub types.
    • Delete, merge or rename a stub category only, without deleting or renaming the associated stub template—follow the instructions above this section.
    • Delete or rename a stub template—continue to section II.
II
Edit the template.

Add one of the following tags at the beginning of the template to be discussed.

  • For deletion, use {{subst:Sfd-t|Section name}}
  • For renaming, use {{subst:Sfr-t|Proposed name|Section name}}
  • Please include "SFD" or "SFR" in the edit summary, and don't mark the edit as minor. Preview before saving.
  • Consider notifying the template's creator on their talk page. To find the contributor, check the page history of the stub template.
III
Create the CFD section.

Click THIS LINK to edit the section of CfD for today's entries.

Follow the instructions (visible in edit mode) and paste the following text (remember to update the default parameters):

  • For deletion, use {{subst:sfd-t2|TemplateName|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed deletion. ~~~~}}
  • For renaming, use {{subst:sfr-t2|TemplateOldName|TemplateNewName|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed deletion. ~~~~}}
  • In your rationale, mention how many articles currently use the template to help other editors. When linking to a category in your rationale, always add a colon (:) to the beginning of the link, like [[:Category:Foo]]. This makes a category link that can be seen on the page, and avoids putting this page into the category you are nominating.
  • Preview before saving to check that your nomination is formatted correctly, and remember to include your signature at the end of the nomination.

Notifying interested projects and editors

In addition to the steps listed above, you may choose to invite participation by editors who are likely to be informed about a nominated category. All such efforts must comply with Wikipedia's guideline against biased canvassing. In addition, to help make your messages about the CfD discussion clear, avoid Wikipedia-specific abbreviations, link to relevant policies or guidelines, and link to the discussion itself.

Notifying related WikiProjects

WikiProjects consist of groups of editors who are interested in a particular subject. If a nominated category is within the scope of one or more WikiProjects, consider adding a brief, neutral note on their talk page(s) about the nomination. You may use {{subst:cfd notice|Category name|2026 March 10|CfD section name}} ~~~~ or write a personalized message.

Tagging the nominated category's talk page with a relevant WikiProject's banner will include the category in that WikiProject's Article Alerts if they subscribe to the system. For instance, tagging a nominated category with {{WikiProject Physics}} will add the discussion to Wikipedia:WikiProject Physics/Article alerts.

Notifying substantial contributors to the category

While not required, it is generally considered courteous to notify the good-faith creator and main contributors of the category that you are nominating for discussion. To find the creator and main contributors, check the category's page history or talk page. You may use {{Cfd notice}} to inform the category's creator and all other editors.

Notifying other interested editors

It may be helpful to invite other subject-matter experts by posting a message on the talk page of the most closely related article, such as Protein family for Category:Protein families. You may use {{Cfdnotice}} for this.

Speedy renaming and merging

Shortcut

Speedy renaming or speedy merging of categories may be requested if they meet one of the speedy criteria listed below. To nominate a category:

  1. Determine which speedy criterion applies.
  2. Tag the category page with {{subst:cfr-speedy|New name}} or {{subst:cfm-speedy|Merge target}}.
  3. List the request along with a speedy criteria reason at § New requests.

Speedy requests must state which of the narrowly defined criteria strictly applies. Hence, any other non-speedy criteria, even "common sense" or "obvious", may be suitable points but only at a full discussion at Categories for discussion.

The nomination and its discussion may get moved further down the page purely for organizational convenience. Categories that qualify for speedy deletion can be tagged with the regular speedy tags with no required delay or listing. Renaming under C2E may be processed instantly (at the discretion of an administrator) as it is a variation on G7.

Opposing

Requests generally take about 48 hours to process after listing if there are no objections. This delay allows other users to review the request to ensure that it meets the criteria and raise any objections.

To oppose a speedy request, insert this immediately under the nomination: 

* '''Oppose''': Explain your objection. ~~~~

If you belatedly notice and want to oppose a speedy move that has already been processed, contact one of the admins who process speedy nominations. If your objection seems valid, they may reverse the move, or start a regular CfD discussion. Unless you withdraw your opposition, the nomination may be turned into a regular CfD discussion.

Contested speedy requests become stale and can be untagged and delisted after 7 days of inactivity. Optionally, if the discussion may be useful for future reference, it may be copied to the category talk page, with a section heading and {{Moved from|[[WP:CFDS]]|~~~~}}. If the nominator wants to revive the process, this may be requested at CfD in accordance with its instructions.

Speedy criteria

Shortcut

The category-specific criteria for speedy renaming or merging are strictly limited to:

C2A: Typographic and spelling fixes

Shortcut
  • Correction of spelling errors and capitalization fixes. Differences between British and American spelling (e.g. Harbours → Harbors) are not considered errors; however if the convention of the relevant category tree is to use one form over the other then a rename may be appropriate under C2C. If both spellings exist as otherwise-identical category names, they should be merged.
  • Appropriate conversion of hyphens into en dashes or vice versa (e.g. Category:Canada-Russia relations → Category:Canada–Russia relations).
  • Correction of obvious grammatical errors, such as a missing conjunction (e.g. Individual frogs toads → Individual frogs and toads). This includes pluralizing a noun in the name of a set category, but not when disagreement might reasonably be anticipated as to whether the category is a topic or set category.

C2B: Consistency with established Wikipedia naming conventions and practices

Shortcut

C2C: Consistency with established category tree names

Shortcut

Bringing a category into line with established naming conventions for that category tree, or into line with the various "x by y", "x of y", or "x in y" categorization conventions specified at Wikipedia:Category names

  • This should be used only where there is no room for doubt that the category in question is being used for the standard purpose instead of being a potential subcategory.
  • This criterion should be applied only when there is no ambiguity or doubt over the existence of a category naming convention. Such a convention must be well defined and must be overwhelmingly used within the tree. If this is not the case then the category in question must be brought forward to a full CfD nomination.
  • This criterion will not apply in cases where the category tree observes distinctions in local usage (e.g. Category:Transportation in the United States and Category:Transport in the United Kingdom).

C2D: Consistency with main article's name

Shortcut
  • Renaming a topic category to match its eponymous page (e.g. Category:The Beatles and The Beatles).
  • This applies only if the related page's current name (and by extension, the proposed name for the category) is:
    • unambiguous (so it generally does not apply to proposals to remove a disambiguator from the category name, even when the main article is the primary topic of its name, i.e. it does not contain a disambiguator); and
    • uncontroversial, either because of longstanding stability at that particular name, or because the page was just moved (i) after a page move discussion resulted in explicit consensus to rename, or (ii) unilaterally to reflect an official renaming which is verified by one or more citations (provided in the nomination). C2D does not apply if the result would be contrary to guidelines at WP:CATNAME, or there is any ongoing discussion about the name of the page or category, or there has been a recent discussion concerning any of the pages that resulted in a no consensus result, or it is controversial in some other way.
  • This criterion may also be used to rename a set category in the same circumstances, where the set is defined by a renamed topic; e.g. players for a sports team, or places in a district.
  • Before nominating a category to be renamed per C2D, consider whether it makes more sense to move the article instead of the category.
  • Just disagreeing with the article title is not enough reason to oppose a C2D request. Instead, if someone disagrees with the article title, they can start a WP:RM procedure on the article talk page and they can request the CFDS discussion to be put on hold while the RM discussion is running.
  • However, arguing that it is desirable to have the article and the category at different titles may be an adequate reason to oppose C2D.

C2E: Author request

Shortcut
  • This criterion applies only if the author of a category requests or agrees to renaming within six months of creating the category.
  • The criterion does not apply if other editors have populated or changed the category since it was created. "Other editors" includes bots that populated the category, but excludes an editor working with the author on the renaming.

C2F: One eponymous page

Shortcut
  • This criterion applies if the category contains only an eponymous article, list, template or media file, provided that the category has not otherwise been emptied shortly before the nomination. The default outcome is an upmerge to the parent categories, where applicable.
  • Nominations should use {{subst:cfm-speedy}} (speedy merger) linking to a suitable parent category, or to another appropriate category (e.g. one that is currently on the article). When listing the nomination at WP:CFDS, you must manually add all the appropriate parent categories as targets if the member page is not already in them.
Admin instructions

When handling the listings:

  1. Make sure that the listing meets one of the above criteria.
  2. With the exception of C2E, make sure that it was both listed and tagged at least 48 hours previously.
  3. Make sure that there is no opposition to the listing; if there is a discussion, check if the opposing user(s) ended up withdrawing their opposition.

If the listing meets these criteria, simply have the category renamed or merged – follow the instructions at Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Administrator instructions, in the section "If the decision is to Rename, Merge, or Delete"; to list it for the bots, use the Speedy moves section.

A nomination to merge or rename, brought forward as a full CfD, may be speedily closed if the closing administrator is satisfied that:

  • The nomination clearly falls within the scope of one of the criteria listed here, and
  • No objections have been made within 48 hours of the initial nomination.

The closure will be regarded as having been a result of a speedy nomination. If any objections have been raised, then the CfD nomination will remain in place for the usual 7-day discussion period, to be decided in accordance with expressed consensus.

For out of process deletions, check Category:Empty categories awaiting deletion. In some cases, these will need to be nominated for discussion and the editor who emptied the category informed that they should follow the CfD process. After renaming, copy and paste the listing to Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Working/Manual.

Current requests

If the category does not match one of the above criteria or you are not sure it qualifies, do not list it here. Instead, use the main CfD process. Requests may be completed if more than 48 hours old; i.e., if the nomination was created before 15:50, 8 March 2026 (UTC). Currently, there are 285 open requests (refresh).

To list it here, use the following format on a new line at the beginning of the list: 

* [[:Category:old name]] to [[:Category:new name]] – Reason ~~~~

If the current name should be redirected rather than deleted, use: 

* REDIRECT [[:Category:old name]] to [[:Category:new name]] – Reason ~~~~

If human action is required, e.g. updating templates that populate the category, use: 

* NO BOTS [[:Category:old name]] to [[:Category:new name]] – Reason ~~~~

Remember to tag the category page with: {{subst:cfr-speedy|New name}}

New requests


Opposed requests


On hold pending other discussion
  • None currently


Moved to full discussion

Empty categories awaiting deletion

The categories listed below have been identified as empty using {{db-catempty}}, and will be speedily deleted after 7 days unless populated. (Note: Due to technical limitations, all contents of the category may not be displayed; view the category directly to see all contents.)

Empty categories awaiting deletion
COVID-19 pandemic medical cases in Canada charts
A-Class school articles
British international schools in Brazil
Sammarinese expatriates in China
Organized crime groups in Latin America
Gangs in Latin America
COVID-19 pandemic in Africa templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania templates
Stub-Class Rajasthan road transport articles
Rajasthan road transport articles by quality
Vest-Agder County Municipality
Vest-Agder
Aust-Agder
Vestfold og Telemark
Bundesstraße infobox templates
Bundesstraße templates
Autobahn infobox templates
Autobahn templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Canada templates
Guyanese emigrants to the Bahamas
Bahamian people of Guyanese descent
Community schools in the City of Sunderland
Ambassadors of Mozambique to Malta
Ambassadors of Mozambique to Greece
Ambassadors of Mozambique to Turkey
Malta–Mozambique relations
Wikipedia featured topics Myst series good content
Wikipedia featured topics Myst series featured content
Years of the 14th century in literature
Primary schools in the City of Sunderland
Military units and formations of the Republic of Ireland
Chinese expatriates in San Marino
Ambassadors of Tunisia to the Czech Republic
Ambassadors of Angola to Norway
Ambassadors of Angola to Finland
22nd-century caliphs
Ambassadors of Angola to Denmark
Ambassadors of Greece to Slovakia
Ambassadors of Tunisia to Slovakia
Education in Buldhana district
Ambassadors of Greece to the Czech Republic
COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand templates
School massacres in Iran
Ambassadors of Ivory Coast to Austria
COVID-19 pandemic in Malta templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Monaco templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Cyprus templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Kosovo templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Croatia templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Finland templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Belarus templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Latvia templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Lithuania templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Luxembourg templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Montenegro templates
COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Germany templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Estonia templates
COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic templates
COVID-19 pandemic in North Macedonia templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina templates
COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom templates
COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland templates
Bangladesh Rifles
Cybermen audio covers
Ambassadors of Angola to Botswana
Angola–Ghana relations
Angola–Botswana relations
Nord-Trøndelag
COVID-19 pandemic in Norway templates
Troms og Finnmark
Geography of Oppland
Oppland
Oppland County Municipality
Geography of Hedmark
Hedmark County Municipality
Hedmark
Sør-Trøndelag
Sogn og Fjordane County Municipality
Sogn og Fjordane
Hordaland County Municipality
Hordaland
Viken (county)
Populated places in Ninh Thuận province
Geography of Ninh Thuận province
Landforms of Ninh Thuận province
COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium templates
COVID-19 pandemic in San Marino templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Spain templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Slovenia templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland templates
Geography of Đắk Nông province
Geography of Bình Thuận province
Populated places in Đắk Nông province
Landforms of Đắk Nông province
Rivers of Đắk Nông province
Landforms of Bình Thuận province
COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary templates
Populated places in Bình Thuận province
Rivers of Bình Thuận province
COVID-19 pandemic in Iceland templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Italy templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Austria templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Slovakia templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Moldova templates
Ambassadors of Ghana to Guatemala
Ambassadors of Ghana to Haiti
Ghana–Haiti relations
Dandelion (French band) albums
High commissioners of Ghana to the Bahamas
COVID-19 pandemic in Russia templates
Bahamas–Ghana relations
Automotive ignition systems
Engineering colleges in Meerut
Private schools in Walsall
COVID-19 pandemic in the Caribbean templates
COVID-19 pandemic in France templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Romania templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Poland templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Europe templates
COVID-19 pandemic in North America templates
Ambassadors of Angola to the Republic of the Congo
20th-century Ugandan male actors
20th-century Ugandan actors
13th-century Moroccan historians
United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana cases
Ciney templates
Sicilian Defence
1993 radio dramas
1993 audio plays
1985 radio dramas
1985 audio plays
Companion Chronicles audio plays
Davros audio plays
The Master (Doctor Who) audio plays
2022 establishments in Wyoming
2023 disestablishments in Wyoming
Novels by Chris Boucher
COVID-19 pandemic in Greece templates
COVID-19 pandemic in Vatican City templates
Rivers of Tiền Giang province
Geography of Tiền Giang province
Landforms of Tiền Giang province
Populated places in Tiền Giang province
Tourist attractions in Tiền Giang province
Defunct hospitals in Arkansas
Follies in Northern Ireland
Populated places in Long An province
Rivers of Long An province
Landforms of Long An province
Geography of Long An province
Ambassadors of Angola to Ghana
Landforms of Bạc Liêu province
Populated places in Bạc Liêu province
Geography of Bạc Liêu province
Rivers of Quảng Bình province
Protected areas of Oppland
Geography of Bắc Giang province
Landforms of Bắc Giang province
Rivers of Bắc Giang province
Communes of Bến Tre province
Rivers of Bến Tre province
Geography of Bến Tre province
Landforms of Bến Tre province
Populated places in Bến Tre province
Rivers of Trà Vinh province
Geography of Trà Vinh province
Landforms of Trà Vinh province
Rivers of Bình Định province
Landforms of Bình Định province
Geography of Bình Định province
Economy of Bình Định province
Populated places in Bình Định province
Geography of Bình Dương province
Landforms of Bình Dương province
Rivers of Bình Dương province
Geography of Hòa Bình province
Geography of Vĩnh Phúc province
Populated places in Vĩnh Phúc province
Landforms of Vĩnh Phúc province
Landforms of Hòa Bình province
Rivers of Hòa Bình province
Populated places in Hòa Bình province
Rivers of Vĩnh Phúc province
Tourist attractions in Vĩnh Phúc province
Geography of Bình Phước province
Populated places in Bình Phước province
Landforms of Bình Phước province
Rivers of Bình Phước province
Geography of Sóc Trăng province
Geography of Hậu Giang province
Landforms of Hậu Giang province
Populated places in Sóc Trăng province