Wikidata Search

Search Wikidata entities, compare labels and descriptions, and open the right item before using an identification in another context.

Official docs

Live lookup

Type a real query, scan the cards and confirm the key details before opening the full source.

Quick examples

What the response contains

Wikidata entity search helps distinguish people, places, organisations, works, and other similarly named items. It returns a label, description, identifier, and entity link, but finding a result is only the start of confirming it.

Practical use

Wikidata is a collaborative knowledge base. Labels, descriptions, aliases, and identifiers help locate an item; they do not replace checking the appropriate source when identity, a historical fact, or an important decision is involved.

How to use it

Search a name, place, organisation, or concept, then compare label, description, aliases, ID, and link before selecting an item.

Fields worth checking

Entity label
Short description
Aliases and match
Item ID and link

Who this helps

People who need to separate similarly named entities and reach the Wikidata item that matches a search.

Where this lookup saves time

Shows the entity identifier and link together with its label and description.
Helps prevent a name match from being used as though it were a confirmed identification.

What a search returns

The wbsearchentities route returns a list in search. An observed result includes id, concepturi, title, pageid, label, description, match, aliases, and url when those fields are available. An id such as Q937 identifies the item; label is its displayed name and description helps separate entities with the same name.

Use id and concepturi or url to reach the specific item instead of treating a label as a unique identifier.
Read description and aliases with the label when comparing similarly named people, locations, or organisations.
The match field shows how the query related to a result; it does not, by itself, confirm the desired item.

Refining an identification

Start with a precise name or phrase and open nearby results to check the entity details. The language parameter requests labels and descriptions in a chosen language; on this page it matches the page locale. The route also accepts type, which defaults to item, plus limit and continue for working through a larger search.

Add a city, profession, period, organisation, or another clue when a name is ambiguous.
Compare ID, description, and link before storing an entity in a spreadsheet, reference, or integration.
Use limit and continue as documented when you need more results instead of treating the first page as exhaustive.

What a result does not establish

A Wikidata item can point to a useful entity, but a search does not automatically validate every fact associated with it. Short texts, aliases, and relationships can change or be incomplete. For biographies, historical facts, health, law, finance, or an important decision, confirm the specific claim with appropriate sources.

Do not assign identity, authorship, location, or a date just because a label matches the query.
Do not treat a short description as a complete biography or proof of a claim.
Check the item references and a primary or specialist source when accuracy matters.