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I recently reached 2k reputation (yay me!), and this allows me to edit without peer review. Before, with peer review, edits had to be at least 6 characters, and 'not be trivial'. Without this peer review, I have been very tempted to edit questions and correct the misspelling of a single word, which is usually a one character edit.

EX:

Blah blah blah this is my question.. My linux kernal is ... blah blah.

Edited kernal to kernel:

Blah blah blah this is my question.. My linux kernel is ... blah blah.

Is this ok? I assume spelling corrections like this are only helpful, but the box from the beforetime said 'No trivial edits.'

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    Yes, fixing spelling is fine. this type of edit can help get an answer.
    – Steve Robillard Mod
    Commented Feb 23, 2016 at 5:50
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    Why bother? If you think you know what the user asked, so do the rest of us. At least if you MUST correct spelling and grammar make sure it is correct. Grammar is cultural, and with an international audience there is often no agreed standard.
    – Milliways
    Commented Feb 24, 2016 at 1:18
  • Must confess capitalisation errors (usually lack thereof) and extraneous white-space jars with me when reading a question written in txt-speek. If it helps to present a question better then it ought to help with getting a response - but you do have to ask yourself: A- am I changing the meaning of the question (and emphasis can be a factor and should not be changed lightly as I have been reminded)? & B- am I just rearranging the deck-chairs on the Titanic! {Just 58 from 2K for me too!}
    – SlySven
    Commented Feb 28, 2016 at 1:29

2 Answers 2

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The main reason why there is a 6 (not 10) character minimum on suggested edits is because we don't want to be wasting reviewer's time. Every edit you make with <2k rep requires the time of 2 reviewers to be approved.

However, when you can edit posts without approval at 2k rep, your edits are no longer reviewed by 2 people. And hence you are not wasting anyone's time. So feel free to make edits as small as you like, as long as they improve the post and make an attempt to fix all errors in the post.

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  • This wouldn't have come into my mind but avoiding cloughing up the review queue makes so much sense. Even though English is not my mother tongue, I often feel the urge to correct blatant spelling mistakes and fix others' lack of non-alpha enabled keyboards. I must admit your answer - while being spot on - doesn't quite help my confidence to hit that 'Edit' button more often before reaching 2k rep.
    – EDP
    Commented Feb 28, 2016 at 16:01
  • @EDP Don't feel that scared - if you're improving the post, go for your life! After all, the queue here on RPi is usually < 5 items long, so there's not that much work to do. My advice is more important for the larger sites (such as StackOverflow) because their review queues can be 1k items or longer usually.
    – angussidney
    Commented Feb 28, 2016 at 20:19
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Related: Why are trivial edits discouraged? which draws the conclusion: the system gently encourages behaviors that make life easier for all concerned.

Key to edits is to preserve the original intent of the post even when making changes to improve it. From our help page:

Edits are expected to be substantial and to leave the post better than you found it. Common reasons for edits include:

  • To fix grammar and spelling mistakes
  • To clarify the meaning of the post (without changing that meaning)
  • To include additional information only found in comments, so all of the information relevant to the post is contained in one place
  • To correct minor mistakes or add updates as the post ages
  • To add related resources or hyperlinks

And while the helpcenter specifically puts the substantial there, minor edits from trusted users (that do not flood the queue - as Angussidney's answer puts it - are probably ok, if used with care).

Users with more than 2,000 reputation are considered trusted community members and can edit posts without going through the review process. Use your privileges wisely (or as they say: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility).

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