TV Tropes

What TV Tropes actually is

A wiki cataloguing the recurring devices of fiction, giving each one a name and a page listing every film, book, game and advert that has used it. Pages link out to other tropes several times per paragraph, and individual works get their own pages listing what they contain.

Why it is worth your time

Once you have read the page for a device you half-noticed for years you cannot unsee it, and the site knows this well enough to warn you about the time sink itself.

Common questions

Is TV Tropes free?

Yes. TV Tropes is free and does not ask you to register or hand over an email address before you can use it.

How long does TV Tropes take?

Clear your evening. We warned you. We file it under "Rabbit hole" — names for the storytelling tricks you noticed but never named.

Does TV Tropes work on a phone?

Yes. TV Tropes works on a phone as well as it does on a laptop.

What kind of site is TV Tropes?

We list it under Wiki Dives — enter for one fact, leave two hours later. Once you have read the page for a device you half-noticed for years you cannot unsee it, and the site knows this well enough to warn you about the time sink itself.