# Can you encircle your wrist with your thumb and pinky?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-encircle-your-wrist-with-your-thumb-and-pinky/573439
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [March 4, 2011, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-encircle-your-wrist-with-your-thumb-and-pinky/573439 "2011-03-04T02:09:02Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Troubles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troubles)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2011, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-encircle-your-wrist-with-your-thumb-and-pinky/573439/1 "2011-03-04T02:09:02Z")
This is a rather odd question to ask, but I’d like to know if my…err, ‘ability’ to put my pinky and thumb completely around my wrist is unusual. My brother and mother couldn’t do it. Now I’d like to see how you guys do.
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### Author:  [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2011, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-encircle-your-wrist-with-your-thumb-and-pinky/573439/2 "2011-03-04T02:10:00Z")
The same wrist as the thumb and pinky or the opposite one?
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### Author:  [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2011, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-encircle-your-wrist-with-your-thumb-and-pinky/573439/3 "2011-03-04T02:10:51Z")
Can do, but I know that I have small wrists.
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### Author:  [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2011, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-encircle-your-wrist-with-your-thumb-and-pinky/573439/4 "2011-03-04T02:11:22Z")
I have thin wrists and long fingers, so the answer is yes.
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### Author:  [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2011, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-encircle-your-wrist-with-your-thumb-and-pinky/573439/5 "2011-03-04T02:13:21Z")
I used to be able to. Now I can’t. My wrists are fatter I guess. and my fingers have always been stubby.
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### Author:  [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2011, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-encircle-your-wrist-with-your-thumb-and-pinky/573439/6 "2011-03-04T02:13:41Z")
Yep, but more easily for my right hand around my left wrist than vice-versa.
With my right hand, my thumb reaches the base of my pinky fingernail. With my left hand, my thumb is just touching the pink of the nail at the top.
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### Author:  [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2011, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-encircle-your-wrist-with-your-thumb-and-pinky/573439/7 "2011-03-04T02:15:09Z")
Just FYI: the ability to do that is a sign of [arachnodactyly](http://www.nature.com/ejhg/journal/v15/n7/fig_tab/5201851f3.html), which is a symptom of Marfan syndrome.
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### Author:  [@Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glory)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2011, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-encircle-your-wrist-with-your-thumb-and-pinky/573439/8 "2011-03-04T02:17:06Z")
> [@gallows\_fodder](#):
>
> Just FYI: the ability to do that is a sign of [arachnodactyly](http://www.nature.com/ejhg/journal/v15/n7/fig_tab/5201851f3.html), which is a symptom of Marfan syndrome.
Both wrists easily.
I just have exceptionally small wrists.
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### Author:  [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2011, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-encircle-your-wrist-with-your-thumb-and-pinky/573439/9 "2011-03-04T02:17:42Z")
I have really short thumbs, so no.
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### Author:  [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-encircle-your-wrist-with-your-thumb-and-pinky/573439/10 "2011-03-04T02:18:10Z")
Yes, very easily. I have small wrists, and very long fingers. I also have stiff joints, no Marfan’s or anything approaching it here.
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### Author:  [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2011, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-encircle-your-wrist-with-your-thumb-and-pinky/573439/11 "2011-03-04T02:20:00Z")
I can do it fairly easily with with one hand, but come up a bit short with the other mainly because they don’t align correctly.
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### Author:  [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2011, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-encircle-your-wrist-with-your-thumb-and-pinky/573439/12 "2011-03-04T02:23:47Z")
No. 1cm short on both hands.
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### Author:  [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2011, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-encircle-your-wrist-with-your-thumb-and-pinky/573439/13 "2011-03-04T02:25:13Z")
Allllllllmost. I used to be able to, quite easily, but I’ve gotten fatter since then. Now I can do it with my middle or ring fingers, but the pinkie’s just not quite long enough. There’s about a 3mm gap.
So…I guess I used to have Marfan’s, then I got fat? 😉
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### Author:  [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2011, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-encircle-your-wrist-with-your-thumb-and-pinky/573439/14 "2011-03-04T02:29:09Z")
I can around my left wrist, but not my right. What do I put?
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### Author:  [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2011, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-encircle-your-wrist-with-your-thumb-and-pinky/573439/15 "2011-03-04T02:30:42Z")
> [@gallows\_fodder](#):
>
> Just FYI: the ability to do that is a sign of [arachnodactyly](http://www.nature.com/ejhg/journal/v15/n7/fig_tab/5201851f3.html), which is a symptom of Marfan syndrome.
Your link actually says that a sign of Marfan syndrome is if your “thumb and fifth finger \*overlap \*when encircling the wrist.” (Emphasis mine.) My thumb and pinkie meet, but do not overlap.
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### Author:  [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2011, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-encircle-your-wrist-with-your-thumb-and-pinky/573439/16 "2011-03-04T02:32:17Z")
> [@Isamu](#):
>
> No. 1cm short on both hands.
Me too.
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### Author:  [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2011, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-encircle-your-wrist-with-your-thumb-and-pinky/573439/17 "2011-03-04T02:32:22Z")
I answered the poll not even close but then read the responses and tried the other wrist too.
Not even close with my right hand around my left wrist - depending on which angle I try it at there’s a gap of just over a centimeter.
With my left hand around my right wrist it’s pretty darn close - maybe 2 mm space. I can actually touch my thumbnail to my pinky nail but I didn’t figure that counted 🙂
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### Author:  [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2011, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-encircle-your-wrist-with-your-thumb-and-pinky/573439/18 "2011-03-04T02:48:35Z")
I have small wrists so yes, barely. Also, I can only do it with my left wrist…weird.
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### Author:  [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2011, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-encircle-your-wrist-with-your-thumb-and-pinky/573439/19 "2011-03-04T02:50:19Z")
I find it interesting that right now, 8 people say easily, 12 people say barely, and 11 people say not even close. But only 3 people say close.
I expected the number of people who barely can do it and the number of people who almost can do it to be closer together.
-D/a
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### Author:  [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2011, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-encircle-your-wrist-with-your-thumb-and-pinky/573439/20 "2011-03-04T02:50:42Z")
I can do it with middle and ring fingers on both wrists, but pinky doesn’t make it.
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