# 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:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/21 "2011-01-25T17:59:59Z")
I thnk ts fr mr ntrstng tht rmvng vwls frm wrds tht hv t lst n cnsnnt dsnt mk th txt mpssbl t rd, xlthxxgh xt xs xxsxxr xf yxx knxw whxrx thx vxwxls xrx. Smhw I nvr ntcd hw hrd “easier” s t dcd whn dng ths. ---
**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, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/22 "2011-01-25T18:58:38Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > 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. Then what 3 words did I write above? 😛 ---
**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 25, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/23 "2011-01-25T22:16:24Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > irntieor cioorclde aaltotigr > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Then what 3 words did I write above? 😛 Not that I can really read them, but some scrutiny and head-scratching reveals:interiorcrocodileandalligator. Or rather “aligator” ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/24 "2011-01-25T22:41:49Z")
The reason it shouldn’t be that surprising is, if everyone were looking for the individual forms of individual letters, then we wouldn’t be able to read handwriting. It doesn’t mean we don’t need to worry about spelling - which is how I’ve seen some people use it - any more than scrawling illegibly is A-OK. > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Then what 3 words did I write above? 😛 It’s rather more difficult out of context - I have no idea what the last word is. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/25 "2011-01-25T22:52:47Z")
> [@Randy\_Seltzer](#): > > Not that I can really read them, but some scrutiny and head-scratching reveals:interiorcrocodileandalligator. Or rather “aligator” Yep. **St. Cad** drives a Chevrolet movie the-Ater, too. [spoiler]Just Google it, folks [/quote] ETA: I’d just like to point out, too, that keeping the first and last letters of a 6-letter word means that the word is _at least_ 33% correct. ---
**Author:** ![JWT\_Kottekoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@JWT\_Kottekoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JWT_Kottekoe)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/26 "2011-01-27T04:41:51Z")
I just wrote a little program to scramble words like this. After experimenting a little bit, I think the original claims are a bit over dramatized. If you fix any two letters, all 1,2, and 3 letter words are unchanged. 4 letter words have two letters swapped half the time and are easy to figure out. By the time you get beyond 8 letters or so it starts getting more difficult, you often have to figure it out from the context. Most text (including the original sample) has a high frequency of short words. There are lots of clues in the context and it does help to know that the first and last letter are correct. Here is a sample from a randomly selected paragraph in the New York Times. The original example was easy to read, but in this sample, for me at least, some of the words are stumpers and can’t simply be read on sight. Our brains are pretty good at using the textual clues to figure out others. The Oifcfe of Csiaeorsognnl Etcsih, an idneenepndt ietvgivtisnae unit that serevs as a prceot’rsuos ocefif, had abeslemsd waht it bileeved was cllnoiepmg poorf taht the ovrepaiplng vteos and fanciainl insrtudy fariinnu-dsg paierts crateed the acneaaprpe of a clnoifct of isttenre, eevn if no daels were mdae to canhge vteos as a rluest of the dnosotnai. But the etichs ciettmmoe, now led by Rrieptntavesee Jo Bnonre, Riaulebpcn of Ablaaam, edeosrnd a rropet by its own saftf that clcnueodd that these dnernis and ctokcail peratis were just ritunoe entesv, oaenrizgd by piofsresonal fdiauinns-rg costntlanus who work ietpelneddnny from the lwkrsmaae’ Hsuoe pocily staff. “hTe oarelvl rerocd darenmesottd that three wree no acepaeparns of iyrm,perptio” the rporet colduednc. ---
**Author:** ![JWT\_Kottekoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@JWT\_Kottekoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JWT_Kottekoe)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/27 "2011-01-27T04:46:01Z")
Here’s another one, just for fun. It’s really easy once you recognize it. Fuor socre and seven yaers ago our fatrhes bogrhut fotrh on tihs cnnnioett, a new nitnao, cievcenod in Lybrite, and deedcitad to the ptoiorospin that all men are caeertd elaqu. Now we are eagnged in a gaert cviil wra, tteisng whetehr taht ninota, or any noaitn so cecvineod and so detcidaed, can lnog edenur. We are met on a garet blei-leftatd of taht wra. We hvae come to daetidce a ptiroon of that fdeli, as a fianl rnstieg plcae for toshe who here gvae tiehr lives that that notain mhigt live. It is ahoetlgetr ftintig and poperr that we soulhd do tsih. Btu, in a larger sesen, we can not dticeade – we can not ctesracone – we can not hollaw – this goudnr. The bvare men, linivg and ddae, who sugrgletd heer, hvae centsrcaeod it, far aobve our poor pwoer to add or dcettra. The wolrd will lttlie neot, nor lnog remeebmr waht we say heer, but it can neevr feogrt what tehy did here. It is for us the linigv, rtaerh, to be dciedaetd hree to the unfhsinied wrok whcih they who fguoht hree have tuhs far so nboly aadnvdce. It is rthaer for us to be hree dtcieaedd to the graet tsak rnenaimig bfoere us – taht from these hooernd dead we tkae icnseared dootiven to that cuase for wcihh they gave the last full msueare of dtoivoen – taht we here hhlgiy rlevsoe that tshee daed slhal not have deid in vian – that this nintao, uednr God, sahll have a new btrih of feerdom – and taht gmeroennvt of the ppleeo, by the peoelp, for the pepoel, sahll not pseirh form the erhta. ---
**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 27, 2011, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/28 "2011-01-27T07:42:00Z")
> [@JWT\_Kottekoe](#): > > I just wrote a little program to scramble words like this… > > The Oifcfe of Csiaeorsognnl Etcsih, an idneenepndt ietvgivtisnae unit that serevs as a prceot’rsuos ocefif, had abeslemsd waht it bileeved was cllnoiepmg poorf taht the ovrepaiplng vteos and fanciainl insrtudy fariinnu-dsg paierts crateed the acneaaprpe of a clnoifct of isttenre, eevn if no daels were mdae to canhge vteos as a rluest of the dnosotnai. But the etichs ciettmmoe, now led by Rrieptntavesee Jo Bnonre, Riaulebpcn of **Ablaaam** , edeosrnd a rropet by its own saftf that clcnueodd that these dnernis and ctokcail peratis were just ritunoe entesv, oaenrizgd by piofsresonal fdiauinns-rg costntlanus who work ietpelneddnny from the lwkrsmaae’ Hsuoe pocily staff. “ **hTe** oarelvl rerocd darenmesottd that three wree no acepaeparns of **iyrm,perptio** ” the rporet **colduednc**. Your code needs some work - you are not always getting the last letter correct (_Ablaaam_ for _Alabama_, _hTe_) and you are also getting punctuation scrambled in to the word (_iyrm,perptio_ for _impropriety,_). Makes it harder, but I got there. Si ---
**Author:** ![JWT\_Kottekoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@JWT\_Kottekoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JWT_Kottekoe)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759/29 "2011-01-28T02:59:17Z")
Yes, I know. It treats punctuation like any other letter. Not hard to fix, but I found out what I needed to know. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-the-first-letter-and-last-letter/568759.md?page=1)