# Anyone else see facial expressions in letters & numbers? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 1, 2010, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-see-facial-expressions-in-letters-numbers/545216 "2010-07-01T17:44:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-see-facial-expressions-in-letters-numbers/545216/21 "2010-07-02T04:00:28Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > By the way, are we allowed to recommend other boards? There’s a forum for synesthetes that I belong to, where people discuss this sort of thing all the time. Tell your board to buy an ad here. 😉 😃 ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-see-facial-expressions-in-letters-numbers/545216/22 "2010-07-02T04:33:07Z")
Numbers and letters no. But cars totally have faces. ---
**Author:** ![MsChilePepper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MsChilePepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsChilePepper)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-see-facial-expressions-in-letters-numbers/545216/23 "2010-07-02T04:56:13Z")
My letters, numbers, and colors have genders. I also hear sounds in my head in relation to certain words, although not very many of them. The word stone, for example, makes me hear a sort of kettle drum sound in my head. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-see-facial-expressions-in-letters-numbers/545216/24 "2010-07-02T14:22:17Z")
Two-digit numbers have facial expressions (and emotions) to me. But they’re kind of fuzzy; I couldn’t tell you a different set of characteristics for every one of these numbers, but increasing from 10 to 99 I can make out a story. It’s not synesthesia, I think it’s based on the shape of the numbers. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-see-facial-expressions-in-letters-numbers/545216/25 "2010-07-02T14:33:51Z")
> [@umop\_ap\_sdn](#): > > So for those who see colors in the letters, are the letters themselves tinted when you look at them? Not at all. ---
**Author:** ![newcomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e5b9ba/32.png) [@newcomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcomer)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-see-facial-expressions-in-letters-numbers/545216/26 "2010-07-02T16:09:54Z")
> [@umop\_ap\_sdn](#): > > I always have, ever since I was a little kid. It’s as if each letter and number has a face, and is looking in a specific direction, with a specific mood. For example, upper case A looks friendly and enthusiastic while upper case T is so stern and stoic. Lower case a is looking back at the previous letter to see what it has. Etcetera, etcetera. I seem to remember asking my mother about it when I was very young, and she thought it was completely ridiculous. > > Anyone else experience this? I had a similar situation but with cars. As a kid, I’d be looking at front of the car, with its lights, grille and fenders and I’d see people, or more like some generic people types - funny, gooffy, crazy, mad etc. Then, they made [Cars](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317219/). ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-see-facial-expressions-in-letters-numbers/545216/27 "2010-07-02T16:32:10Z")
Cars have two faces - one in the front and one in the back. 😃 I think for me it’s just the combination of the head/tail lights and the grille or license plate though. However, all trucks are male and all passenger cars are female. ---
**Author:** ![newcomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e5b9ba/32.png) [@newcomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcomer)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-see-facial-expressions-in-letters-numbers/545216/28 "2010-07-02T16:56:11Z")
> [@umop\_ap\_sdn](#): > > Cars have two faces - one in the front and one in the back. Agreed. But (pun intended), upon further elaboration re: car back “face”, one would certainly end up in J.G Ballard teritory 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lily\_Milliner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8edcca/32.png) [@Lily\_Milliner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lily_Milliner)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-see-facial-expressions-in-letters-numbers/545216/29 "2010-07-03T03:54:15Z")
Sorry to continue the hijack, but it’s so funny to find this thread right now–my almost-three-year-old son asks me nearly every time we’re in the car why all the cars are sad or angry. Apparently none of the car-faces he sees are smiling. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-see-facial-expressions-in-letters-numbers/545216.md?page=1)