For detailed instructions about using CfD, see "How to use CfD" below. Briefly, nominations are handled through one of two processes:
Speedy renaming and merging, for uncontroversial proposals that meet specified criteria—see "Speedy renaming and merging" below.
Full discussion, for all other proposals. Discussions typically remain open for at leastseven days and are closed once a roughconsensus has formed or no objections to the nomination are raised.
Except in uncontroversial cases such as revertingvandalism, do not amend or depopulate a category once it has been nominated at CfD as this hampers other editors' efforts to evaluate a category and participate in the discussion.
Wikipedia:Move review can be used to contest the outcome of a CfD request that is limited in scope to renaming,as long as all steps are followed. If a discussion on the request closer's talk page does not resolve an issue, then a move review will evaluate the close of a CfD move discussion to determine whether or not the close was reasonable and consistent with thespirit and intent of common practice, policies, and guidelines. CfDs involving deletion should be reviewed atWikipedia:Deletion review.
CfD is intended only for specific proposals to delete, merge, rename or split categories or stub types. For general discussion about how to improve the category system, use other appropriate venues such asWikipedia talk:Categorization,Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Categories, and any relevant WikiProjects' talk pages.
You may useTwinkle to facilitate CfD nominations. To install Twinkle, go toSpecial: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.
Add one of the following templates at thebeginning of thecategory page (not thetalk page) of every category to be discussed. For nominations involving large numbers of categories, help adding these templates can be requestedhere.
Include "CfD", "CfM", "CfR", "CfS" or "CfL" in the edit summary, and do not mark the edit asminor.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|2025 October 26|CfD section name}} ~~~~ to the talk page of the category's creator.
For details about these templates, see each template'sdocumentation.
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 thetext= parameter, omit theCategory: prefix and do not usewikilinks, as the template takes care of this.
Ifnominating a single category:
Fordeleting, use{{subst:Cfd2|Obsolete category|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed deletion. ~~~~}}
Formerging, use{{subst:Cfm2|Origin category|Destination category|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed merge. ~~~~}}
Formerging to two categories, use{{subst:Cfm2|Origin category|Destination category 1|target2=Destination category 2|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed merge. ~~~~}}
Forrenaming, use{{subst:Cfr2|Current category|Proposed name|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed rename. ~~~~}}
Forsplitting, use{{subst:Cfs2|Current category|Proposed category 1|Proposed category 2|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed split. ~~~~}}
Forconverting the category into a list, use{{subst:Cfc2|Current category|Proposed article|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed conversion. ~~~~}}
Forother options (containerization, etc.), use{{subst:Cfd2|Current category|type=other type|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed conversion. ~~~~}}
For abundled 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 thecolon 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 toinclude your signature at the end of the nomination.
Follow the instructions (visible in edit mode) and paste the following text (remember to update the default parameters):
Fordeletion, use{{subst:sfd-t2|TemplateName|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed deletion. ~~~~}}
Forrenaming, 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 toinclude your signature at the end of the nomination.
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 withWikipedia'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|2025 October 26|CfD section name}} ~~~~ or write a personalized message.
Notifying substantial contributors to the category
While not required, it is generally considered courteous to notify thegood-faith creator and main contributors of the category that you are nominating for discussion. To find the creator and main contributors, check the category'spage history ortalk 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 asProtein family forCategory:Protein families. You may use{{Cfdnotice}} for this.
Speedy renaming orspeedy merging of categories may be requestedonly if they meet aspeedy criterion, for exampleWP:C2D (consistency with main article's name) orWP:C2C (consistency with established category tree names). Please see instructions below.
Please note that a speedy request 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 atWP:Categories for discussion.
Requests may take 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 speedy criteria for speedy renaming or merging, and to raise objections to the proposed change.
Categories that qualify forspeedy deletion (perWikipedia:Criteria for speedy deletion, e.g., "patent nonsense", "recreation") can be tagged with the regular speedy tags, such as{{db|reason}} with no required delay. Empty categories can be deleted if they remain empty 7 days after tagging with{{db-empty}}. Renaming underC2E may also be processed instantly (at the discretion of an administrator) as it is a variation onG7.
To oppose a speedy request you must record your objection within 48 hours of the nomination. Do this by inserting immediately under the nomination:
Oppose, (the reasons for your objection). ~~~~
You will not be able to do this by editing the page WP:Categories for discussion. Instead, you should edit the sectionWP:Categories for discussion#Add requests for speedy renaming and merging here or the pageWP:Categories for discussion/Speedy#Add requests for speedy renaming and merging here (WP:CFDS). Be aware that in the course of any discussion, the nomination and its discussion may get moved further down the page purely for organizational convenience – you may need to searchWP:CFDS to find the new location. Participate in any ongoing discussion, but unless you withdraw your opposition, a knowledgeable person may eventually bring forward the nomination and discussion to become a regular CFD discussion. At that stage you may add further comments, but your initial opposition will still be considered. However, if after seven days there has been no support for the request, and no response from the nominator, the request may be dropped from further consideration as a speedy.
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 discussion from|[[WP:CFDS]]|2=~~~~}}. If the nominator wants to revive the process, this may be requested atWP:Categories for discussion (CfD) in accordance withits instructions.
If you belatedly notice and want to oppose a speedy move that has already been processed, contact one of the admins whoprocess the Speedy page. If your objection seems valid, they may reverse the move, or start a full CFD discussion.
Correction of spelling errors andcapitalization fixes. Differences betweenBritish and American spelling (e.g.Harbours → Harbors) arenot 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 underC2C. If both spellings exist as otherwise-identical category names, they should be merged.
Correction of obvious grammatical errors, such as a missingconjunction (e.g.Individual frogs toads → Individual frogs and toads). This includespluralizing a noun in the name of a set category, but not when disagreement might reasonably be anticipated as to whether the category is atopic or set category.
C2B: Consistency with established Wikipedia naming conventions and practices
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 atWikipedia: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 appliesonly 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 theprimary 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 atWP: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 ano consensus result, or it is controversial in some other way.
This criterion may also be used to rename aset 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 WP:C2D, consider whether it makes more sense to move the article instead of the category.
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.
This criterion applies if the category containsonly 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 atWP:CFDS, you must manually add all the appropriate parent categories as targets if the member page is not already in them.
A nomination tomerge orrename, brought forward as a fullCfD, 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.
If both these conditions are satisfied, 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.
If the category does not match one of the criteria mentioned in C2 or you are in doubt as to whether it qualifies,do not list it here. Instead, list it in themain CfD section.
Use the following format on a new line at thebeginning of the list:
To note that human action is required, e.g. updating a template that populates 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}}
A request may be completed if it is more than 48 hours old; that is, if the time stamp shown is earlier than 22:25, 24 October 2025 (UTC). Currently, there are462 open requests (refresh).
Administrators andpage movers:Do not use the "Move" tab to move categories listed here!Categoriesare processed following the 48-hour waiting period and are moved by a bot.
Strong oppose. Nominator does not know history. West Berlin was a separate international entity (and not part of West Germany). East Berlin was part of East Germany.SFBB (talk)23:29, 24 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
@SFBB, do not remove the speedy notice from the category page until the process is completed one way or the other. The article onWest Berlin suggests that it was essentially part of West Germany. Regardless of that, why does that mean the category should not be renamed to remove the word "hosted"? AsCrowsus explained, no other categories use the format "hosted in". It should be "hosted by" or just "in".Mclay1 (talk)00:03, 25 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
@Mclay1 Of course, West Berlin wasn't part of West Germany...and this was ferociously contested by East Germany and other Eastern block countries. Just read thefirst paragraph ofWest Berlin or abouthow close was East Germany to boycott the FIFA World Cup 1974 just to mention a well-known example. Inhabitants of West Berlin were mostly West Germans (because of ius sanguini and West Germany considering every German: be it for the Sarre, East Germany, or West Berlin to be citizens of West Germany), but in was ruled completely separately from West Germany. Mock federeations were cretead to organize international sports events in West Berlin and so to avoid a boycott by Eastern European countries, and so on.
'Hosted by' would be fine for me as a starting point since SFBB is viewing WB as a national entity. There are discussions elsewhere about that concept but this is just about getting the wording right.Crowsus (talk)00:21, 25 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
I had chosen for "hosted in" because the situation was extremely complicated and changed over time, and it also varied depending on the sport and the level of pressure exerted by Eastern European countries. As an "umbrella" wording, I think "hosted in" is more comprehensive and accurate than "hosted by", but I would not oppose homogenization. Anyways, this is not a discussion for speedy.SFBB (talk)18:14, 25 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose — As was the case with the recently-moved Skagway categories, the main article clumsily conflates separate topics (a borough and a once-incorporated city turned CDP resulting from the borough's incorporation) which are and would be presented as separate articles everywhere else on the encyclopedia. Yakutat would refer to the community, which is different from the borough (borough,CDP). The lack of willingness to fix this is hardly a justification for only making the situation worse by confusing the difference across namespaces. The nominator's efforts to clean up this category tree has already resulted in a lot of arbitrary categorization as it relates to their perceived definition of various communities. RadioKAOS/ Talk to me, Billy/ Transmissions03:59, 14 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Next Step Thanks for the feedback. Normally, when a speedy is opposed, I moved it to a full CFD discussion but here it sounds like the root concern is at the article level. I just want the category to match the main article, but have no opinion on whether the latter should be renamed or split.
So regardless of what this category name settles on, please include category redirects for all of these changes. The templates for Businesswomen by century are somewhat resiliant, but it would save me a ton of time modifying the template if those redirects remained.SMasonGarrison22:03, 25 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]
CheckCategory:Empty categories awaiting deletion for out of process deletions. In some cases, these will need to be nominated for discussion and the editor who emptied the category informed that they should follow theWP:CFD process.
The categories listed below have been identified as empty using{{db-catempty}}, and will bespeedily 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.)
For a listing of current collaborations, tasks, and news, see theCommunity portal. For a listing of ongoing discussions and current requests, see theDashboard.
