What it does
The Wikipedia bot is one of Telegram's official inline bots. Type @wiki followed by a query in any chat, and pick a result to share a Wikipedia article with its summary, without leaving the conversation.
Why people use it
- Quick fact-checks in conversation.
- Share Wikipedia article previews without copy-pasting URLs.
- Works in any chat without adding a bot.
How to use it
- Open any chat on Telegram.
- Type
@wikiin the message field followed by a topic. Example:@wiki The Open Network. - Pick a result from the dropdown. The bot posts the article preview.
What you can search
| You type | You get |
|---|---|
@wiki telegram |
The Wikipedia article, with the opening summary |
@wiki ada lovelace |
Biography articles matching the name |
@wiki then nothing |
Nothing. It needs a query to search on |
Sending a result posts the article title, its summary and a link, which is far tidier than pasting a bare URL and hoping the preview loads.
How inline bots work
Inline bots are the easiest kind to use and the least understood. You never add them to anything.
Type the bot's username into any message box, add a space, then your query. Results appear above the keyboard and tapping one sends it. It works in any chat, including group chats the bot is not a member of and channels you do not own, because nothing is ever added to the conversation except the result you pick.
Nobody in the chat sees the search itself, only what you send. That also means there is no permission to grant and nothing to remove afterwards.
Worth knowing
It searches English Wikipedia. For other languages you are better off sending a direct link. Results come from Wikipedia itself, so the bot is a search interface rather than a source of its own.
Behind the app
Operated by Telegram FZ-LLC. Part of the official set of inline search bots (@wiki, @pic, @vid, @youtube, @imdb).
