Yes. Pluto is a dwarf planet.

The word 'planet' has a formal definition set by the IAU in 2006. Under it, Pluto is a dwarf planet because it has not cleared its orbital neighbourhood. Some scientists argue for a broader definition that would include Pluto. This is a dispute about how to define a word, not about the facts of Pluto's nature, and the official status has not changed.

• The IAU adopted a formal planet definition on 24 August 2006.
• A planet must orbit the Sun, be round from its own gravity, and have cleared its orbital neighbourhood.
• Pluto meets the first two criteria but has not cleared its orbit, which it shares with many Kuiper Belt objects.
• Pluto is classed as a dwarf planet, and is among the largest known Kuiper Belt objects.
• Some planetary scientists dispute the IAU definition, but it is the official classification.

Pluto meets two of the three criteria for a planet but shares its orbital region with many other Kuiper Belt objects. That makes it a dwarf planet under the International Astronomical Union’s definition. Some scientists favor broader definitions that would include Pluto as a planet, but those are not the standard classification.

• The International Astronomical Union reclassified Pluto in 2006.
• Pluto orbits the Sun and is nearly round.
• It has not gravitationally cleared its orbital neighborhood, a requirement for planet status under that definition.

Pluto was discovered in 1930 and was initially considered the solar system's ninth planet. In the early 2000s, astronomers discovered several other trans-Neptunian objects of comparable size, notably Eris. To resolve taxonomic ambiguity, the International Astronomical Union established three criteria for planet status in 2006. While Pluto orbits the Sun and has achieved hydrostatic equilibrium (a round shape), it does not dominate its orbital path gravitationally. Consequently, the astronomical consensus categorizes it as a dwarf planet.

• In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) established a formal three-part definition of a planet.
• A planet must orbit the Sun, be massive enough to be nearly round, and have cleared its orbital neighborhood.
• Pluto meets the first two criteria but shares its orbit with numerous other Kuiper Belt objects.
• Because it has not cleared its orbit, Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet.

Whether Pluto "is a planet" turns on which definition of planet is used, and the dominant one worldwide is the IAU's 2006 definition, under which Pluto fails the "cleared its neighbourhood" test and is a dwarf planet. That is the sense in which an ordinary person asking this today means it, so the claim is true as stated. The disagreement among some researchers is about the definition itself, not about any disputed observation of Pluto, so it does not make the conventional classification unsettled.

• The IAU's 2006 definition requires a planet to orbit the Sun, be massive enough for its own gravity to make it nearly round, and to have cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit.
• Pluto meets the first two conditions but not the third: it shares the Kuiper Belt with many other objects and has far less than 1% of the mass in its orbital zone.
• The IAU resolution passed on 24 August 2006 reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet; only eight planets remained.
• The IAU recognises five dwarf planets: Ceres, Pluto, Eris, Haumea and Makemake.
• Some planetary scientists, including NASA's New Horizons mission lead Alan Stern, prefer a geophysical definition based on a body's own properties, which would count Pluto as a planet.

In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) established a formal definition for the term 'planet.' According to this definition, a planet must (1) orbit the Sun, (2) be spherical or nearly spherical due to its own gravity, and (3) have cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit of other debris. Pluto meets the first two criteria but does not meet the third, as it shares its orbit with other objects in the Kuiper belt. As a result, Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet. This decision is supported by the worldwide astronomical community and remains the scientific consensus as of 2026, despite ongoing debate and public interest in restoring Pluto's planetary status.

• Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 2006.
• The IAU's definition of a planet requires a celestial body to (1) orbit the Sun, (2) be spherical or nearly spherical, and (3) have cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit.
• Pluto meets the first two criteria but fails the third, as it shares its orbit with other objects in the Kuiper belt.
• The IAU is the recognized authority for defining celestial objects and their classifications.
• Despite ongoing debate and public support for Pluto's planetary status, the IAU's definition remains the scientific consensus as of 2026.

1. So Long Pluto en.wikipedia.org
2. NASA's Isaacman latest to endorse Trump reclassifying Pluto as a planet usatoday.com
3. Pluto en.wikipedia.org
4. Will Pluto become a planet again? The ongoing debate earthsky.org
5. Exploration of Pluto en.wikipedia.org
6. 'Make Pluto a planet again,' NASA chief says at US senate hearing usatoday.com
7. Making Pluto a planet again sounds simple. It isn’t | BBC Science Focus Magazine sciencefocus.com
8. NASA chief Jared Isaacman hints at campaign to make Pluto a planet again | Scientific American scientificamerican.com