# A Simple Test That You Will Probably Fail **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 16, 2004, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-simple-test-that-you-will-probably-fail/240356 "2004-04-16T13:33:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-simple-test-that-you-will-probably-fail/240356/1 "2004-04-16T13:33:10Z")
Here’s a simple test for you. All you have to do is count the "F"s in the text below. Remember, count each and every “F”. Ready? * * * FINISHED FILES ARE THE RE- SULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIF- IC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS… * * * So how many did you find? Did you say three? Most people do. Go back and try again. The answer is SIX. Most people can’t process the word “OF” when counting the Fs. So there are: F in FINISHED F in FILES F in SCIENTIFIC F in three instances of OF ---
**Author:** ![notquitekarpov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@notquitekarpov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notquitekarpov)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-simple-test-that-you-will-probably-fail/240356/2 "2004-04-16T13:42:59Z")
Yup, I failed. I’ll live. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-simple-test-that-you-will-probably-fail/240356/3 "2004-04-16T13:47:16Z")
I failed. But I find these mental hiccups fascinating, so I’m not disappointed. I think these things are kinds neat. It’s amazing that I _really_ thought I looked carefully, a couple/three times, but still missed what looks like an incredibly easy question. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-simple-test-that-you-will-probably-fail/240356/4 "2004-04-16T13:48:15Z")
Hey, I got it right. Now there’s a first! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-simple-test-that-you-will-probably-fail/240356/5 "2004-04-16T13:50:51Z")
I got all six, but then I’m an experienced copyeditor. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-simple-test-that-you-will-probably-fail/240356/6 "2004-04-16T13:53:54Z")
I got all six, but I’d seen this before so I knew what to look for. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-simple-test-that-you-will-probably-fail/240356/7 "2004-04-16T14:00:58Z")
I got it, but I do a lot of proofreading for my office, and so I’m used to divorcing meaning and sound from spelling and punctuation. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![jmizzou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/edb3f5/32.png) [@jmizzou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jmizzou)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-simple-test-that-you-will-probably-fail/240356/8 "2004-04-16T14:02:29Z")
Six, but I’ve seen this type of thing before. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-simple-test-that-you-will-probably-fail/240356/9 "2004-04-16T14:11:11Z")
You guys are amazing. Every single person in my house got 3. It took my mother ten minutes and a pencil to get all six. ---
**Author:** ![Skelji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Skelji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skelji)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-simple-test-that-you-will-probably-fail/240356/10 "2004-04-16T14:26:00Z")
I counted six. I’m curious though, what do the inished iles consist o, and what is the scientiic study? The test ails to mention this act. ---
**Author:** ![Anduin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Anduin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anduin)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-simple-test-that-you-will-probably-fail/240356/11 "2004-04-16T14:34:27Z")
I got six. But then, I’m used to deciphering undergraduates’ handwriting (is that an s or an f? Either way, what on earth is that word?) so I think that helped. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-simple-test-that-you-will-probably-fail/240356/12 "2004-04-16T14:35:52Z")
I got six, but only because I used the search feature in my browser. Man – the tool user. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-simple-test-that-you-will-probably-fail/240356/13 "2004-04-16T14:38:37Z")
I got all six, but that’s because I went through the words backwards. I’ve found that’s the best way to spellcheck your writing (if you’re short a spellchecker, that is). ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-simple-test-that-you-will-probably-fail/240356/14 "2004-04-16T14:38:43Z")
I got six, but I recall seeing this in an email several years ago. ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-simple-test-that-you-will-probably-fail/240356/15 "2004-04-16T14:49:03Z")
5 Yep, 5. Sort of lost interest there toward the end, I guess ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-simple-test-that-you-will-probably-fail/240356/16 "2004-04-16T14:57:05Z")
Another copyeditor who didn’t even bother to count – just said the answer. This thing is so old it has whiskers on it. ---
**Author:** ![monica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@monica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monica)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-simple-test-that-you-will-probably-fail/240356/17 "2004-04-16T15:16:21Z")
Somehow, I managed to get 4. I missed the first two "of"s, but got the second one. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-simple-test-that-you-will-probably-fail/240356/18 "2004-04-16T15:44:37Z")
I got it right, by cheating. Pasted into an editor and did a global replace with something unmissable. I guessed It’d be a variation on the old ‘Paris in the the spring’ thingy. It’s probably tricky because of is not phonetic -you don’t hear the f. As a kid I once forgot how to spell _of_ and wrote a whole essay using _ov_ which I knew was wrong but I couldn’t find my way to o_f_. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-simple-test-that-you-will-probably-fail/240356/19 "2004-04-16T16:41:34Z")
Six, but I’ve seen it before and knew to count 'of’s. ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-simple-test-that-you-will-probably-fail/240356/20 "2004-04-16T17:02:13Z")
I got 6. … and I’m not any type of copy editor or proofreader. I’ve never seen this one before, and I didn’t even read backwords through it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-simple-test-that-you-will-probably-fail/240356.md?page=2)