TITLE: What is a Proof Assistant?
QUESTION [15 upvotes]: How would you explain to a beginner in simple terms, what a Proof Assistant is?

REPLY [17 votes]: Let us clarify some jargon. Usually we call proof assistants systems which can really help us finding proofs, i.e. they should have a tactic language. Systems which lack this feature (tactics) are usually called type checkers or just type systems. On the other hand, in modular systems, kernels in proof assistants could also be called just type checkers. All of them could be called theorem provers as long as they have at least the hole inference and hole finding features.
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