WordPress is a Content Management System (CMS) that powers about 40% of the web. WordPress is free. A WordPress website can be compared to a house. WordPress itself it like the basement. It provides the foundation and contains the basics: the plumbing, the electric, the HVAC. Every WordPress site has a Theme. A Theme is like the frame of the house. A frame determines if there are one, two, or three stories, where the doors and windows are, where the rooms are. In WordPress, the Theme determines how the website is laid out; how the menus are laid out; whether there are sidebars; whether the page is laid out in one, two, or three columns; where the images are; and things like that. It is a good idea to pick a Theme early in the development, because if you change Themes, often a lot of work has to be redone. Plugins are add-in software that are like appliances in the house – they are added to do useful work. Some are free, some cost money, and some are both – they have a free version and a pro version that adds features and perhaps support.
WordPress can be used fruitfully by someone who does not have coding skills, but those with coding skills can create much fuller and richer websites.