Wikipedia's first sentence called it “hebrew word that”. Today it says “any custom or tradition—usually a choice of phrasing or single word—that distinguishes one group of people from”. The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read “Word or phrase that distinguishes one group of people from another”. It now reads “Custom or tradition that distinguishes one group from another A New Orleans resident challenges out-of-towners who had come to protest against the 2017 removal of the Robert”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2005
Look up shibboleth in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Shibboleth is the Hebrew word that literally means "ear of wheat". In the Hebrew Bible , pronunciation of this word was used to distinguish members of a group whose dialect lacked a "sh" sound from members of a group whose dialect included such a sound. The consequences of getting it wrong were fatal: And the Gileadites seized the passages of the Jordan before the Ephraimites ; and it was so, that when those Ephraimites who had escaped said, "Let me go over," that the men of Gilead said unto him, "Art thou an Ephraimite?" If he said, "Nay," then said they unto him, "Say now 'Shibboleth.'" And he said "Sibboleth," for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him and slew him at the passages of the Jordan; and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand. ( Judges 12:5-6, King James Version of the Bible )1
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 17848221.
The opening as it stood in 2010 6 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) .A shibboleth ( or ) is any distinguishing practice that is indicative of one's social or regional origin.It usually refers to features of language, and particularly to a word whose pronunciation identifies its speaker as being a member or not a member of a particular group.Statue of Pier Gerlofs Donia , known for his legendary strength and size and the invention of a famous shibboleth "shibboleth".(second ed.). 1989. : Missing or empty |title= ( help ) ; Unknown parameter |ency= ignored ( help ) "shibboleth" .
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This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) . A shibboleth ( / ˈ ʃ ɪ b ə l ɛ θ / or / ˈ ʃ ɪ b ə l ə θ / ) is a word or custom whose variations in pronunciation or style can be used to differentiate members of ingroups from those of outgroups .Within the mindset of the ingroup, a connotation or value judgment of correct/incorrect or superior/inferior can be ascribed to the two variants.
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The opening as it stood in 2020 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Word or phrase that distinguishes one group of people from another For other uses, see Shibboleth (disambiguation) .Christian villagers of Ungheni , Bessarabia Governorate , displaying icons on their homes in order to defend themselves from a pogrom , 1905 A shibboleth ( / ˈ ʃ ɪ b əl ɛ θ , - ɪ θ / ) is any custom or tradition, usually a choice of phrasing or even a single word, that distinguishes one group of people from another.Shibboleths have been used throughout history in many societies as passwords , simple ways of self-identification, signaling loyalty and affinity, maintaining traditional segregation, or protecting from real or perceived threats.Merriam-Webster Dictionary , shibboleth , accessed online 22 September 2015.Collins English Dictionary , shibboleth , accessed online 22 September 2015.
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The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
Custom or tradition that distinguishes one group from another For other uses, see Shibboleth (disambiguation) .A New Orleans resident challenges out-of-towners who had come to protest against the 2017 removal of the Robert E.The out-of-towners' inability to pronounce " Tchoupitoulas Street " according to the local fashion would be a shibboleth marking them as outsiders. A shibboleth ( / ˈ ʃ ɪ b əl ɛ θ , - ɪ θ / ; ) is any custom or tradition, usually a choice of phrasing or even a single word, that distinguishes one group of people from another. Shibboleths have been used throughout history in many societies as passwords , simple ways of self-identification, signaling loyalty and affinity, maintaining traditional segregation, or protecting from real or perceived threats. Merriam-Webster Dictionary , shibboleth , accessed online 22 September 2015. Collins English Dictionary , shibboleth , accessed online 22 September 2015.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1173197218.
The opening as it stood in 2025 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Custom or tradition that distinguishes one group from another For other uses, see Shibboleth (disambiguation) . A New Orleans resident challenges out-of-towners who had come to protest against the 2017 removal of the Robert E. The out-of-towners' inability to pronounce " Tchoupitoulas Street " according to the local fashion would be a shibboleth marking them as outsiders. A shibboleth ( / ˈ ʃ ɪ b əl ɛ θ , - ɪ θ / SHIB -əl-eth, -ith ; Hebrew : שִׁבֹּלֶת [ʃiˈbolet] ) is any custom or tradition—usually a choice of phrasing or single word—that distinguishes one group of people from another.Historically, shibboleths have been used as passwords , ways of self-identification, signals of loyalty and affinity, ways of maintaining traditional segregation, or protection from threats.It has also come to mean a moral formula held tenaciously and unreflectingly, or a taboo .The Concise Oxford dictionary of current English (8th ed.).
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Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “hebrew word that”. Today it says “any custom or tradition—usually a choice of phrasing or single word—that distinguishes one group of people from”. The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read “Word or phrase that distinguishes one group of people from another”. It now reads “Custom or tradition that distinguishes one group from another A New Orleans resident challenges out-of-towners who had come to protest against the 2017 removal of the Robert”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
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2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
hebrew word that
Now
any custom or tradition—usually a choice of phrasing or single word—that distinguishes one group of people from
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
