Squeeze My Prompt
All tasks

I want to learn something.

Every question is optional. The ones marked Recommended matter most.

For example: How index funds work.

For example: I know what a stock is; lost on 'expense ratio'.

For example: Choose a retirement fund this month.

For example: Everyday analogies, then quiz me with 3 questions.

For example: A 10-minute read.

For example: your pasted chapter.

More detail, if you have it

How should the AI start?
Saved on this device only

How to ask an AI to explain something

Use this form when you want something explained: a concept, a process, a piece of jargon, a subject you need for work or study. Tutoring and teaching was the largest single subcategory in a study of how people use ChatGPT, at 10.2% of all messages. A good explanation depends on who it is for, so this form is mostly about you.

  • Topic. Say what you want to understand, as plainly as you would ask a person. Google’s prompting guide advises giving the model clear and specific instructions.
  • What you know now. This sets the level. An Anthropic analysis comparing countries and US states found that the average education level of people’s prompts closely tracks the education level of the replies they get. Say what you already know, and exactly where it gets unclear, so the explanation starts at the right point instead of at the beginning or over your head.
  • Why you’re learning. What you will do with the knowledge tells the AI how deep to go and which examples to pick. Anthropic’s prompting guide says that giving the reason behind a request lets the model apply it to choices you did not spell out, and OpenAI’s prompt guidance also leads with the outcome you want.

Two optional questions are worth opening. “How you like to learn” lets you ask for analogies, worked examples or a short quiz. “Depth and time” sets the length; Anthropic notes that Claude Opus 5 writes longer by default.

A worked example

Someone choosing a retirement fund wants to understand index funds. Their answers: the topic, what they know and where they get lost, why they are learning, and that they like everyday analogies followed by a short quiz. The form composes:

I want to understand: How index funds work.

<context>
What I already know, and where it gets unclear: I know what a stock is; lost on 'expense ratio'.
Why I'm learning this: Choose a retirement fund this month.
</context>

<task>
Explain this at my level, starting from what I already know.
</task>

<output_format>
How to explain it: Everyday analogies, then quiz me with 3 questions.
</output_format>

If the information here is not enough to answer well, say so and tell me what you would need. If something missing would materially change the result, ask me up to 3 short questions first. Otherwise proceed and state your assumptions.

What the form adds for you

It asks the AI to explain at your level and start from what you already know, so the reply builds on your answer to “What you know now” rather than starting from scratch.