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| − | + | __NOTOC__{{DISPLAYTITLE:explain xkcd}} | |
| − | + | <center> | |
| − | < | + | <font size=5px>''Welcome to the '''explain [[xkcd]]''' wiki!''</font><br> |
| − | ------ | + | <span style="font size:210%;">We have an explanation for all [[List of all comics (full)|'''{{#expr:{{PAGESINCAT:All comics|R}}}}''' xkcd comics]], and only {{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete explanations|R}} ({{#expr: {{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete explanations|R}} / {{LATESTCOMIC}} * 100 round 1}}%) are incomplete. [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|Help us finish them!]]</span><!-- Note: the -1 in the calculation above has been removed (it was there to discount "comic" 404, but we've categorized it to be a comic and so has Randall.) --> |
| − | [[ | + | </center> |
| + | <!-- Go to this explanation button --><span style="position: absolute; right:0; padding-top:1.4em; font-size: 100%;"><span class="no-link-underline">[[{{LATESTCOMIC}}| </span>'''Go to this explanation''']]</span> | ||
| − | < | + | =Latest comic= |
| + | <div style="border:1px solid grey; background:#f6f6f6; padding:1.5em;"> | ||
| + | {{:{{LATESTCOMIC}}}} | ||
| + | ---- | ||
| − | + | <span style="position: absolute; left:0; padding-top:1.35em; font-size: 105%;"><span class="no-link-underline"> [[File:new topic.png|21x21px|link={{LATESTCOMIC}}#Discussion]][[{{LATESTCOMIC}}#Discussion| </span>'''View comic discussion''']]</span><br><br></div> | |
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| − | </ | + | == New here? == |
| + | <div style="float:right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em">{{Special:ContributionScores/10/30/nosort,notools}}<div style="font-size:0.85em; width:28em; font-style:italic">[[Special:ContributionScores|Lots of people]] contribute to make this wiki a success. Many of the recent contributors above have [{{fullurl:Special:Contributions|contribs=newbie}} just joined]. You can do it too! Create your account [[Special:UserLogin/signup|here]].</div></div> | ||
| − | + | You can read a brief introduction about this wiki at [[explain xkcd]]. Feel free to [[Special:UserLogin/signup|create an account]] and contribute to the wiki! We need explanations for xkcd [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|comics]], [[:Category:Characters|characters]], [[What If? chapters|''What If?'' articles]], and [[:Category:xkcd|everything in between]]. If it is referenced in an [[xkcd]] comic, it should be here. | |
| + | * If you're new to wiki editing, see the [[explain xkcd:Editor FAQ]] for a specific guidance to this wiki and the more general help on [[mw:Help:Editing pages|how to edit wiki pages]]. There's also a handy {{w|Help:Cheatsheet|wikicode cheatsheet}}. | ||
| − | + | * Discussion about the wiki itself happens at the [[explain xkcd:Community portal|Community portal]]. | |
| − | ( | + | * You can browse the comics from the [[List of all comics (full)|list of all comics]] or by navigating the category tree at [[:Category:Comics]]. |
| − | [ | + | * The incomplete explanations are listed [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|here]]. Feel free to help out by expanding them! |
| + | == Rules == | ||
| + | Don't be a jerk! | ||
| − | + | There are a lot of comics that don't have set-in-stone explanations; feel free to put multiple interpretations in the wiki page for each comic. | |
| + | If you want to talk about a specific comic, use its discussion page. | ||
| + | Please only submit material directly related to xkcd and, of course, only submit material that can legally be posted and freely edited. Off-topic or other inappropriate content is subject to removal or modification at admin discretion, and users who repeatedly post such content will be blocked. | ||
| − | + | If you need assistance from an [[explain xkcd:Administrators|admin]], post a message to the [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Admin requests|Admin requests]] board. | |
| − | + | [[Category:Root category]] | |
| − | + | Recent comments: {{Special:RecentChanges|namespace=1}} | |
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Latest revision as of 06:19, 3 January 2026
Welcome to the explain xkcd wiki!
We have an explanation for all 3204 xkcd comics, and only 59 (1.8%) are incomplete. Help us finish them!
Latest comic[edit]
| International Station |
 Title text: Welcome to the International Space Station Exclamation Point! |
Explanation[edit]
| 40x40px | This is incomplete: This page was created by a BOT APOSTROPHE S SPACE TRANSLATION SPACE ERROR PERIOD. Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page! |
This joke makes fun of the parity between 'space', as in the invisible character between words, and 'space', as in the void between astronomical bodies. In this case, it is said that the word 'space' was never meant to be part of the name of the International Space Station, but was included as a word due to a transcription error.
The presumption is therefore that someone thought it necessary to say the name as "International (space) Station," perhaps to quash any misconception that the intended name might be "InternationalStation" (however capitalised). Someone else would have written this down as International Space Station, with the accidental name being accepted due to the resulting name being acceptably apt or inconvenient to change.
The title text furthers the joke by transcribing the exclamation mark at the end of the phrase, similar to 3143: Question Mark. There were also multiple examples of strings, with punctuation (literal and otherwise) and spelling easy to misconvey in 1963: Namespace Land Rush, though none of them used either spaces or "space"s. The full name of "International Space Station Exclamation Point" may also sound like it refers to a location in the International Space Station by the name of "Exclamation Point", one apparently intended for making exclamations like the title text. In a similar vein, when customers order signboards, they sometime come with unintended quotation marks. The customer writes the signage text with quotation marks, with the expectation that the signmaker will ignore them.
The ISS made the news on 15 January 2026, the day prior to the release of this comic, due to the unprecedented evacuation of some crewmembers to Earth for medical reasons.
While the ISS had other names during its design, such as Space Station Freedom or Alpha, it does not appear that NASA or Roscosmos literally originally referred to it as just International Station. The Russian name for it is "Международная Kосмическая Cтанция" (MKC) or "Mezhdunaródnaya Kosmícheskaya Stántsiya", which translates as "International Space Station" using the cosmic, non-punctuation meaning of "space".
Transcript[edit]
| 40x40px | This is one of 37 incomplete transcripts: Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page! |
- [Ponytail is talking to Cueball. They seem to be floating in a weightless environment, surrounded by a wrench, a book, two sheets of paper and some debris.]
- Ponytail: You know, NASA and Roscosmos actually originally named it the International Station, but a translation issue led someone to accidentally transcribe the formatting.
Add comment 
Create topic (use sparingly) 
Refresh Discussion
Make changes, try things out, or just have fun with the wiki here! Just leave everything above the line alone, please.
This is a test. PoolloverNathan[stalk the blue seas] 20:48, 16 March 2021 (UTC)
- This is not. —While False (museum | talk | contributions | logs | rights | printable version | page information | what links there | related changes | Google search | current time: 12:53) 18:38, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
- A foreign student asked me to help fight against his math teacher. That was unusual. He was in that class for just a couple of weeks. The teacher's phone number was sent to me. The student asked me to spam-call the teacher. 172.71.155.55 22:58, 18 September 2023 (UTC)
here i'm just messing around in html, ignore this
furhhfghure guyrburgryhuyvfr "rvhru"
interesting way of writing quotations xd
- hmmm this one of putting "<p>" in a line break will come in handy for when i want it to start at the same place than the first line
edit: da hek did that "</div>" come from An user who has no account yet (talk) 14:14, 13 October 2023 (UTC)
hi uh its hard to get here.
is this a reference to undocumented feature??? hmm... this is interesting.
108.162.241.216 02:05, 23 November 2023 (UTC)
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yum yum [citation needed]
Hiuiedeixgeyceiyedhcdiedcve {{trout}}
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You can read a brief introduction about this wiki at explain xkcd. Feel free to create an account and contribute to the wiki! We need explanations for xkcd comics, characters, What If? articles, and everything in between. If it is referenced in an xkcd comic, it should be here.
- If you're new to wiki editing, see the explain xkcd:Editor FAQ for a specific guidance to this wiki and the more general help on how to edit wiki pages. There's also a handy wikicode cheatsheet.
- Discussion about the wiki itself happens at the Community portal.
- You can browse the comics from the list of all comics or by navigating the category tree at Category:Comics.
- The incomplete explanations are listed here. Feel free to help out by expanding them!
Rules[edit]
Don't be a jerk!
There are a lot of comics that don't have set-in-stone explanations; feel free to put multiple interpretations in the wiki page for each comic.
If you want to talk about a specific comic, use its discussion page.
Please only submit material directly related to xkcd and, of course, only submit material that can legally be posted and freely edited. Off-topic or other inappropriate content is subject to removal or modification at admin discretion, and users who repeatedly post such content will be blocked.
If you need assistance from an admin, post a message to the Admin requests board.
Recent comments:18 January 2026
| 08:57 | Talk:841: Audiophiles (diff | hist) . . (+162) . . 76.176.69.232 (talk) |
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Talk:3195: International Station (3 changes | history) . . (+657) . . [Explainyourself; These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For; 2a04:4e41:6405:35f::eb9c:b35f] |
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| 03:12 | Talk:1037: Umwelt (diff | hist) . . (+123) . . 2604:3d09:d07d:c200:18a5:d6e5:19fd:3886 (talk) (→Snake in canada: new section) |
17 January 2026
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Talk:449: Things Fall Apart (3 changes | history) . . (+342) . . [Drkaii (3×)] |
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Talk:3195: International Station (3 changes | history) . . (+981) . . [Tharkon; Lordpishky; Inexplicable] |
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(cur | prev) . . (+482) . . Lordpishky (talk | contribs) (Littewood's tiny a) |
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| 06:55 | Talk:3192: Planetary Alignment (diff | hist) . . (+197) . . 2600:100a:b10c:6b2e:ec47:cf99:9b14:1c81 (talk) |
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Talk:896: Marie Curie (2 changes | history) . . (+375) . . [StapleFreeBatteries (2×)] |
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| 05:03 | Talk:1289: Simple Answers (diff | hist) . . (+120) . . Explainyourself (talk | contribs) (Added comment) |
| 04:32 | Talk:3194: 16 Part Epoxy (diff | hist) . . (+255) . . IAmADroid (talk | contribs) (add comment about stuff that cracks after a few days) |
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16 January 2026
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Talk:3194: 16 Part Epoxy (8 changes | history) . . (+2,200) . . [Willintendo; DollarStoreBa'al; 82.13.184.33; 66.42.178.247; 47.141.37.161; 2600:100a:b10c:6b2e:ec47:cf99:9b14:1c81; 2a02:2455:1960:4000:f1e8:367:e9a3:2fc7 (2×)] |
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| 14:31 | Talk:1246: Pale Blue Dot (diff | hist) . . (+296) . . DollarStoreBa'al (talk | contribs) |
15 January 2026
| 20:57 | Talk:3193: Sailing Rigs (diff | hist) . . (+217) . . 167.103.126.166 (talk) (Flettner rotors require some power from the ship's main propulsion to turn them. This wouldn't be possible in a sailing scenario ~~~~) |
| 20:52 | Talk:805: Paradise City (diff | hist) . . (+173) . . 144.124.88.186 (talk) |
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Talk:3194: 16 Part Epoxy (7 changes | history) . . (+1,129) . . [Yaokuan ITB; DollarStoreBa'al; 65.35.147.191; 2a01:cb1c:12ef:7900:953b:ffb2:21e3:47ec; 131.255.152.112; 82.13.184.33 (2×)] |
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(cur | prev) . . (+52) . . 65.35.147.191 (talk) (The main page has been vandalized with pornography) |
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| 14:49 | Talk:3192: Planetary Alignment (diff | hist) . . (+219) . . Fephisto (talk | contribs) |
