r/AskReddit (about 60.0M members, directory rank #3) is Reddit's huge open question floor: almost any thought-provoking prompt can land there. That breadth is useful for vibes and stories, and noisy when you need a practical answer, a careful topic room, or a format with stricter norms.
This guide picks seven safer-for-work communities that show up in SubMouse's directory related list and/or relevance ranking for AskReddit, then adds clear purpose splits so you are not just following a raw related dump.
How to choose
Stay on AskReddit for open-ended discussion questions. Move when you want everyday practical answers (NoStupidQuestions), sensitive questions with a dedicated tone (TooAfraidToAsk), simplified explanations (explainlikeimfive), expert-style science or history answers (askscience, AskHistorians), context for a current meme or news meme (OutOfTheLoop), or help naming a forgotten title (tipofmytongue).
Starting point: r/AskReddit
r/AskReddit
— Ask Reddit...
- Members: 60M
- Directory rank: #3
- 7-day growth: +59.1K
r/AskReddit is the place to ask and answer thought-provoking questions.
Curated alternatives
No such thing as stupid questions
- Members: 7.6M
- Directory rank: #102
When to choose it: You want a practical everyday answer without dressing the question up as entertainment.
Why it is here: Public description frames an anonymous forum for questions people feel silly asking. SubMouse lists it among AskReddit directory related names, and our AskReddit vs NoStupidQuestions comparison page covers the split in more detail.
How it differs from r/AskReddit: AskReddit rewards discussion prompts; NoStupidQuestions is oriented toward getting an answer, including mundane ones.
Everything & Anything You Were Too Afraid To Ask
- Members: 2M
- Directory rank: #541
When to choose it: The question feels awkward, personal, or socially risky and you want a room built for that.
Why it is here: Directory related for AskReddit and a high relevance match on shared ask/Q&A signals. Title and description center questions people were too afraid to ask.
How it differs from r/AskReddit: Narrower emotional register than AskReddit's general prompt culture; still Q&A, not a topic specialty.
Explain Like I'm Five | Don't Panic!
- Members: 23.7M
- Directory rank: #26
When to choose it: You need a concept broken down in plain language rather than opinions or anecdotes.
Why it is here: Shares SubMouse Q&A/explanation topic signals with AskReddit. Large directory presence (about 23.7M members, rank #26). Pair-wise comparison with NoStupidQuestions also exists on SubMouse.
How it differs from r/AskReddit: ELI5 is explanation-first with layperson wording; AskReddit is prompt-and-discussion-first.
AskScience: Got Questions? Get Answers.
- Members: 26.4M
- Directory rank: #20
When to choose it: The question is scientific and you want answers held to science norms, not general chat.
Why it is here: Listed in AskReddit directory related and ranks highly on shared ask/questions terms plus topic overlap. Public description: ask a science question, get a science answer (about 26.4M members, rank #20).
How it differs from r/AskReddit: Subject-matter and moderation expectations are science-specific; AskReddit does not enforce that.
AskHistorians
- Members: 2.9M
- Directory rank: #380
When to choose it: You want sourced historical answers and are willing to follow strict posting rules.
Why it is here: Appears on AskReddit's directory related list. Public description calls it a portal for public history and warns that rules are enforced heavily (about 2.9M members, rank #380).
How it differs from r/AskReddit: Much stricter evidence and removal norms than AskReddit's open floor.
What's everyone on about?
- Members: 3.7M
- Directory rank: #264
When to choose it: You are missing context for a meme, headline, or Reddit drama and want a catch-up, not a debate.
Why it is here: Common AskReddit spillover intent ("what is X?") with a dedicated SFW directory community (about 3.7M members, rank #264) whose description is explicitly about keeping up with what is going on.
How it differs from r/AskReddit: Context recovery for current references, not open-ended life or opinion prompts.
TOMT: When you can't remember that…thing…
- Members: 2.7M
- Directory rank: #409
When to choose it: You are trying to identify a forgotten movie, song, book, game, or phrase.
Why it is here: Directory community focused on un-googleable tip-of-the-tongue finds (about 2.7M members, rank #409). Frequent destination when AskReddit identification threads are the wrong format.
How it differs from r/AskReddit: Identification quests with a solve format, not general discussion prompts.
Related comparisons
Need a longer list?
Run the automatic finder for r/AskReddit (results are matched from our directory; that page is not indexed):
Find related to r/AskReddit.
Members and public descriptions come from SubMouse's safe-for-work directory (as of 2026-11-02 UTC); 7-day growth measured from 2026-10-26. Posts/day and culture claims appear only when we have them — missing fields stay n/a. Directory rank is listing order. Communities outside the published Top 100 open in the info tool instead of a full community page. Guide updated 2026-11-06.