# Does the number thirteen bother you? How much? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 10, 2012, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095 "2012-08-10T15:58:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/41 "2012-08-12T04:00:55Z")
> [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](#): > > I like primes and squares. 13 is prime. Same here. I actually like it, over being indifferent. I like odd numbers better than even in general, as well—in the vague, asthetic sense. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/42 "2012-08-12T04:08:21Z")
I am a fan of 13. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/43 "2012-08-12T04:09:25Z")
It’s just a number. I can’t say I have strong feelings for or against it, really. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2012, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/44 "2012-08-13T01:54:05Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > It’s a number. Just like 666, etc. I do like me some 420 though. See, 13 doesn’t bug me, but 666 still does. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2012, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/45 "2012-08-13T08:13:44Z")
Not at all. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2012, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/46 "2012-08-13T15:23:39Z")
13 pisses me off. well, not the number itself, but people’s fear of it. I regularly encounter buildings with no thirteenth floor. Seriously, the buttons in the elevator skip from 12 to 14. How stupid is that? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2012, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/47 "2012-08-13T15:51:09Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > 13 pisses me off. well, not the number itself, but people’s fear of it. I regularly encounter buildings with no thirteenth floor. Seriously, the buttons in the elevator skip from 12 to 14. How stupid is that? [Check out the picture here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraphobia) for an extreme example from China. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2012, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/48 "2012-08-13T16:12:23Z")
When I worked in NYC, to get to our office, you had to press 12A in the elevator, which was the floor directly between floor 12 and 14. Didn’t fool anybody, but I guess it looked better for superstitious people coming to our office. I met my SO at a bar in Berlin that still exists - the name of the bar? Dreizehn (German word for 13). We have been together 31 years - or as you dyslexics would interpret as 13. So, 13 has been a lucky number for me. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2012, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/49 "2012-08-13T16:16:12Z")
Dyslexics would interpret it as “We hvae bene toeghter 31 yaers” (poetic license) Dyscalculics would intpret it as “We have been together 13 years.” Or in other cases, “officer, I have dyscalculia! I heard her say she was 51.” ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/50 "2012-08-14T16:35:07Z")
I’m fine with 13. The numbers I don’t like are 5, 7, 11, and 213. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/51 "2012-08-14T17:19:17Z")
A pox on these stupid superstitions. Now we’ve got people building condos in Toronto that skip the 13th floor _and_ floors with the number 4 in them. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![eclectic\_wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac91a4/32.png) [@eclectic\_wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eclectic_wench)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/52 "2012-08-14T22:15:36Z")
I kind of like it. > [@DrDeth](#): > > In America, 13 is a Lucky number. This is why in the Winchester Mystery House e.g. you have a lot of 13’s. This may be a joke, I don’t know the Winchester Mystery House, but we were in an American hotel recently. No floor 13. I’ve never seen that in a hotel on this side of the Atlantic (although in fairness I haven’t exactly been looking, so maybe none of the ones over here have 13s either). ETA: What’s the number 4 thing about? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/53 "2012-08-14T22:35:07Z")
4 sounds like “death” in many Asian languages. [Tetraphobia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraphobia). Same link as post #47. ---
**Author:** ![eclectic\_wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac91a4/32.png) [@eclectic\_wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eclectic_wench)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/54 "2012-08-14T22:55:38Z")
Whoa. Tetraphobia could really complicate your life. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/55 "2012-08-14T23:08:13Z")
Another born on the 13th baby here – I am well pleased with it! And in 2013, my birthday falls on a Friday, too. Just to add, I’ll go out of my way to take '13’s if the opportunity presents itself; I had a chance to upgrade a flight from Philadelphia to Boston recently, and took row 13 – no one else wanted it, so I had the whole row to myself. I’ve also upgraded to row 13 on overseas flights to London and frequently have no one sat next to me – that’s awfully nice, because on my flights to Heathrow, Row 13 is in business class. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/56 "2012-08-14T23:19:06Z")
> [@eclectic\_wench](#): > > Whoa. Tetraphobia could really complicate your life. Japanese is the only one I can speak about. “shi” can be replaced by “yon.” I’m sure that’s part superstition, but it also reduces confusion, especially over the phone, etc. because 7 is “shichi.” That one can become “nana,” but I’m not aware of any superstitious reason for changing that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095.md?page=2)