WordPress glossary

WordPress Core

The base WordPress software that powers your site, separate from your theme and plugins.

Last updated 27 June 2026 · Reviewed by Ali Hassan

WordPress Core is the open source software released by the WordPress project. It controls how posts, pages, users, and the admin dashboard work. Your theme and plugins sit on top of it. Core updates are released roughly every 3 to 4 months and should be applied within 7 days of release.

Where this applies on our service

WordPress maintenance plans

Related terms

Minor Update
A small WordPress release with security and bug fixes, applied automatically by default.
Major Update
A larger WordPress release with new features that should be tested in staging before going live.
Rollback
Reverting your site to a previous working state after a failed update or bad deploy.

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