# as long as the first letter and last letter..... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 24, 2011, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759 "2011-01-24T08:03:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Shig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shig)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/1 "2011-01-24T08:03:49Z")
Surely some of you have seen this or something similar on facebook or, well, anywhere really: _“ACDRNOICG TO RSAREECH AT CMABRIGDE UINERVTISY, IT DSENO’T MTAETR WAHT OERDR THE LTTERES IN A WROD ARE, THE OLNY IPROAMTNT TIHNG IS TAHT THE FRSIT AND LSAT LTTEER BE IN THE RGHIT PCLAE. TIHS IS BCUSEAE THE HUAMN MNID DEOS NOT RAED ERVEY LTETER BY ISTLEF, BUT THE WROD AS A WLOHE. IF YOU CAN RAED TIHS, PSOT IT TO YUOR WLAL. OLNY 55% OF PLEPOE CAN”_ Can someone please help me explain to someone that it really is not the mind-blowing statement that they feel it is? Also, the 55% seems hard to find as being accurate when looking for actual research on the topic. If it is as amazing as some seem to think, please explain that, but it just simply seems goofy to me. I really think that anyone that is literate could handle figuring it all out but just think that most are able to do it quickly. I personally think it would take longer for me to read a book written this way, because even though I really had no problems in reading it did definitely catch myself re-scanning a word with my eyes once or twice. ---
**Author:** ![automagic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a698b9/32.png) [@automagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/automagic)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/2 "2011-01-24T08:28:14Z")
You altlcauy hvae to cleralufy pcale the lteetrs to mkae it lleigbe. You aslo hvae to cooshe yuor wdros cullerfay owhtresie it deos not wrok. You actually have to carefully place the letters to make it legible. You also have to choose your words carefully otherwise it does not work. ---
**Author:** ![Otara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a88e4f/32.png) [@Otara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otara)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/3 "2011-01-24T08:33:09Z")
> **[Letter Order Unimportant](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/can-you-raed-tihs/)** > > University researchers demonstrate that letter order is unimportant to reading comprehension? Doesnt seem to really have a definitive study attached to it. Otara ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/4 "2011-01-24T08:34:18Z")
Also, it doesn’t work very well with block caps. I believe what’s happening here is that most people read whole words at a time - interpreting them as discrete shapes garnished by the letters they comprise, rather than as a sequence of individual characters. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/5 "2011-01-24T08:40:04Z")
Well, they made the thing harder to read by sticking it in CAPS. Part of the reason the word/letter order thing works is that the outline shape of the word does not change much as long as the first and last letters are correct and the rest of the letters are randomised. > [@](#): > > Acdrnoicg to rsareech at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. if you can raed tihs, psot it to yuor wlal. olny 55% of plepoe can. Someone has posted a similar text with the first and last letters correct, but all the other letters reversed - this was much harder to read. I am pretty sure that if you put all the tall letters first or last you would have similar difficulties. A good link discussing this meme is [here](http://www.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/people/matt.davis/Cmabrigde/). Si ---
**Author:** ![Shig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Shig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shig)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/6 "2011-01-24T09:37:43Z")
As always, I love this site and you guys are great. Thanks so much for the replies. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/7 "2011-01-24T11:08:20Z")
The blurb as posted is a bit contradictory. To start with it says it doesn’t matter what order the middle letters are in and then it goes on to say only 55% of people can read it, so for 45% the order of the letters _does_ matter. ---
**Author:** ![xoferew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/e9a140/32.png) [@xoferew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xoferew)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/8 "2011-01-24T11:18:26Z")
I think this phenomenon contributes to learning to read being both harder and easier than it might be. I’m studying Japanese, and I can look at many characters and know from the general shape and line density what it says, so my eye moves on to the next, but when it comes time to write the character I have no idea. Similarly there are kids in my preschool class who can “read” all their classmates’ names, but can’t begin to write them. They can form the individual letters, but have little idea which letters are present after the first one. Yet if we couldn’t predict and move on, reading would take forever. ---
**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:** [January 24, 2011, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/9 "2011-01-24T11:20:38Z")
I doubt the 55% figure. I’ve never heard of anyone who couldn’t figure it out. ---
**Author:** ![Hairy\_Bob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecc23a/32.png) [@Hairy\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hairy_Bob)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/10 "2011-01-24T14:51:00Z")
I’ve seen that in the past, sans the 55% nonsense at the end. My guess is someone just tacked it on when they reposted it 'cause everything looks more plausible with a percentage value attached. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/11 "2011-01-24T15:00:39Z")
I’ve heard that 37.5% of all statistics are made up. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/12 "2011-01-24T15:00:58Z")
the consonants are in the right place. the filler vowels can all pretty much be inferred. it’s a crock of poo. CMABRIGDE is a lot easier to construe than CARDIGEBM ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/13 "2011-01-24T15:06:11Z")
It’s like trying to read from right to left it’s not that hard after a bit of practice ecitcarp fo tib a retfa drah taht ton s’ti tfel ot thgir morf daer ot gniyrt ekil s’tI ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/14 "2011-01-24T15:06:26Z")
on eth tohre hnad, ti nis’t taht ahrd ot edcihpre a emssgea howse frist elttrse rae rongw fi ouy hoosec htem arefcully. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/15 "2011-01-24T21:09:23Z")
> [@](#): > > I think this phenomenon contributes to learning to read being both harder and easier than it might be. I’m studying Japanese, and I can look at many characters and know from the general shape and line density what it says, so my eye moves on to the next, but when it comes time to write the character I have no idea. Similarly there are kids in my preschool class who can “read” all their classmates’ names, but can’t begin to write them. They can form the individual letters, but have little idea which letters are present after the first one. Yet if we couldn’t predict and move on, reading would take forever. I certainly remember a time as a child when I could not yet actually read, but would guess what each word was based on its first letter and the context. Sometimes I got it right, sometimes wildly wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/16 "2011-01-24T21:23:47Z")
A perennial favorite: > **[Reading "study", allegedly from Cambridge. Interesting.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=213599)** > > I was forwarded the following in an e-mail today: Naturally skeptic of anything e-mail, I’m wondering if this really was a study by Cambridge. However, I did find it interesting that as the message states, I really had no problem reading it the... > **[Acocdrnig to an elgnsih unviesitry sutdy..](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=211689)** > > I got the following email today: (Read the following paragraph very quickly) Acocdrnig to an elgnsih unviesitry sutdy the oredr of letetrs in a wrod dosen’t mttaer, the olny thnig thta’s iopmrantt is that the frsit and lsat ltteer of eevry word is... > **[Whither Cecil's column on scrambling the middle letters of a word?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=436487)** > > I’ve tried several searches on the archive to find Cecil’s column where he mythbusts the oft-forwarded e-mail that said that there was a study taken at some university which proved that if you scrambled all the letters in a word, except the first and... > **[Do humans recognize word shapes or letter shapes in order to read?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=325854)** > > According to this guy, it appears that we read using a type of parallel letter recognition technique. As far as I can make out, we basically process the shape of each individual letter in a word at the same time, and therefore determine the word... > **[Tihs is ralely aewosme!!!!!](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=211907)** > > Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it... > **[amzanig?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=213361)** > > Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it... I know I missed at least one, because I remember arguing with someone about this in one of these threads, and that argument isn’t in any of the ones listed above. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/17 "2011-01-25T16:02:16Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > the consonants are in the right place. the filler vowels can all pretty much be inferred. it’s a crock of poo. > > CMABRIGDE is a lot easier to construe than CARDIGEBM Also notice that the letters are transposed with their neighbor and not random. If the urban legend were correct, you should be able to read these three words with no problem. irntieor cioorclde aaltotigr ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/18 "2011-01-25T17:07:47Z")
also, anagrams would be a lot easier to solve. and the game textwist would be utterly pointless. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/19 "2011-01-25T17:24:10Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > the consonants are in the right place. the filler vowels can all pretty much be inferred. it’s a crock of poo. > > CMABRIGDE is a lot easier to construe than CARDIGEBM Yeah, but CARDIGEBM doesn’t have the first and last letters in the right place. But, as **Richard Pearse** says, the “only 55% of people can read it” statement totally contradicts the rest of it. (I’ve never seen it with the stat attached, which appears to be total bkloclos.) ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/20 "2011-01-25T17:57:29Z")
As to random text, I wrote a randomizing program once that left first and last letters alone, and I found the resulting text quite easy to read. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759.md?page=2)