# Hearing a word spoken on TV or other source at the same moment you read/write it **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 11, 2018, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-a-word-spoken-on-tv-or-other-source-at-the-same-moment-you-read-write-it/824333 "2018-11-11T02:13:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2018, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-a-word-spoken-on-tv-or-other-source-at-the-same-moment-you-read-write-it/824333/1 "2018-11-11T02:13:44Z")
This question/observation is so mundane and pointless that it needs its own sub-forum within this sub-forum. This happens to me, and I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced it. It’s best described with a couple of examples. It just happened a minute ago. I’m here reading and typing on my computer and the TV is on. Saturday I have the PBS cooking shows on. I was replying to the thread in Cafe Society on Welsh rarebit. I typed this sentence: “Then assemble the following ingredients,” and as I typed the word _following_, Chris Kimball on Milk Street said the word _following_. At the same moment. Another example: I walk in the morning at the local mall and listen to audio books. A while ago I was listening to some book–I’ve forgotten which one-- and in the narrative, the word \*fossil \*was spoken. At that exact moment, I looked up and saw the word \*fossil \*above the door of the store I was just then passing. I’d say this happens to me once a month or so. I guess if you never have the TV on while you’re reading or interacting on your computer, this will not happen to you. But often enough that I notice it, I’ll be reading and as I read a given word, someone on TV says that word at exactly the same moment. I’m talking about words that wouldn’t normally come up routinely in conversation, e.g., omelet, handlebars, shuttle, _pas de deux._ I notice it because it happens with a fairly non-routine word. \*\*PLEASE NOTE: \*\*I’m not attributing any meaning to this, not looking for an explanation, not making a big deal out of it. Yes, this phenomenon comes under the heading of _coincidence_. Just wondering if this happens to anyone else such that you notice it. If the question, “So what?” pops into your mind when reading this, I don’t have an answer for you. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2018, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-a-word-spoken-on-tv-or-other-source-at-the-same-moment-you-read-write-it/824333/2 "2018-11-11T04:21:48Z")
Yep, noticed it many times before, and with really unlikely words. I think that I have even mentioned it here before, in one of the threads on odd coincidences. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2018, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-a-word-spoken-on-tv-or-other-source-at-the-same-moment-you-read-write-it/824333/3 "2018-11-11T04:26:16Z")
And [here it is](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=20924881&postcount=4)–couldn’t find it with the SD search engine, but did find it with Google. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2018, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearing-a-word-spoken-on-tv-or-other-source-at-the-same-moment-you-read-write-it/824333/4 "2018-11-11T04:28:16Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > And [here it is](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=20924881&postcount=4)–couldn’t find it with the SD search engine, but did find it with Google. Oh my goodness. Thanks for that. 🙂