If Windows 3.11 required a 32-bit processor, why was it called a 16-bit operating system?

Raymond Chen May 17, 2010 May 17, 2010 05/17/10

Commenter Really16 asks via the Suggestion Box how 32-bit Win32s was, and why Windows 3.11 was called 16-bit Windows when it required a 32-bit CPU and ran in 32-bit protected mode. First, let's look at how Windows worked in so-called Standard mode. Actually, it was quite simple: In Standard mode, Windows consisted of a 16-bit protected-mode ...