# Phone call answered by: "You'll mark the word..." **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 15, 2015, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200 "2015-07-15T01:34:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/1 "2015-07-15T01:34:06Z")
The strangest thing just happened. I called my sister’s cell phone (area code 313, prefix 715) and the first time I called it, something picked up immediately and said: “You’ll mark the word SOON now.” It did this three more times with other words starting with S (I don’t remember which words) and then hung up. When I called the number back, it put me through to my sister. I called from a saved contact on my phone, so I know I didn’t dial the wrong number. I assume I got some sort of crossed connection in the switching equipment somewhere. But does anyone know what sort of phone number answers with a request to write down four words and then hang up? ---
**Author:** ![skdo23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@skdo23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skdo23)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/2 "2015-07-15T18:55:02Z")
> [@SanibelMan](#): > > The strangest thing just happened. I called my sister’s cell phone (area code 313, prefix 715) and the first time I called it, something picked up immediately and said: > > “You’ll mark the word SOON now.” > > It did this three more times with other words starting with S (I don’t remember which words) and then hung up. > > When I called the number back, it put me through to my sister. > > I called from a saved contact on my phone, so I know I didn’t dial the wrong number. I assume I got some sort of crossed connection in the switching equipment somewhere. But does anyone know what sort of phone number answers with a request to write down four words and then hang up? Don’t know. A Yahoo search brings up your OP followed, oddly enough, by a page with the lyrics to Urge Overkill’s cover of “Girl, You’ll be a Woman Soon.” The subsequent hits get progressively even more irrelevant from there. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/3 "2015-07-15T19:07:29Z")
(Draws the blinds) Who else have you told about this? Were you followed? Don’t answer out loud - sometimes the walls have ears. ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/4 "2015-07-15T20:31:57Z")
I found a couple of Reddit threads of similar tales: [Something happened on the phone that I couldn’t explain the other day](https://www.reddit.com/r/Glitch_in_the_Matrix/comments/363p1l/something_happened_on_the_phone_that_i_couldnt/) [Weird Cell Phone Interruption](http://www.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/comments/36agyf/weird_cell_phone_interruption/) The second thread includes a reference to [this PDF file,](http://www.haskins.yale.edu/SR/SR037/SR037_12.pdf) which discusses an experiment called the [Modified Rhyme Test](https://www.meyersound.com/support/papers/speech/mrt.htm) on page 131. I just came across [this link](http://www.pscr.gov/projects/audio_quality/mrt_library/overview/) from the Public Safety Communications Research branch of the Dept. of Commerce, and I’m downloading their audio source files to see if it matches what I heard. ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/5 "2015-07-15T20:52:18Z")
Update: Those sound files from the PSCR aren’t it – they say “Please select the word” – but I would bet what I heard was some form of Rhyme Test. Now the question is, who’s running it? Maybe the phone company to test line quality? ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/6 "2015-07-15T21:07:12Z")
Iphone related? [https://www.reddit.com/r/reddit.com/comments/2wlgb/some\_kind\_of\_creepy\_ai\_has\_woken\_up\_at\_apple\_dial/](https://www.reddit.com/r/reddit.com/comments/2wlgb/some_kind_of_creepy_ai_has_woken_up_at_apple_dial/) > [@](#): > > Some kind of creepy AI has woken up at Apple: dial (877) 412-7753, then press 2 then press 1. Then follow the mesmerizing instructions about marking words. ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/7 "2015-07-15T22:48:22Z")
> [@grude](#): > > Iphone related? > > [Reddit - Dive into anything](https://www.reddit.com/r/reddit.com/comments/2wlgb/some_kind_of_creepy_ai_has_woken_up_at_apple_dial/) That was seven years ago? Someone should know what it is by now. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/8 "2015-07-15T22:59:22Z")
I tried calling that number. It’s apparently now an Apple sales/customer service line for government buyers. Following the instructions in the Reddit thread did not result in the code-speaking thingy described above. Best guess, given the information provided - it’s some sort of tool designed to help speech-to-text AIs better associate spoken words with their written counterparts. ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/9 "2015-07-16T01:33:28Z")
I posted a summary of what I found on one of those reddit threads, so I guess we’ll see what turns up between here and there. ---
**Author:** ![projectjason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eada6e/32.png) [@projectjason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/projectjason)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2015, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/10 "2015-08-02T13:21:44Z")
This happened to me yesterday! i was trying to call my girlfriend in miami, im in atlanta right now on a work trip, sometime during the afternoon… i was calling using my headphones in the park,…i do remember hearing the mans robotic voice… i specifically remember him saying " youll mark the words shit please" …it freaked me out! i made my roommate listen a little bit… a womans robotic voice came on and she did the very same thing… i wish i didnt hang up and listened more… we joked about it being the other side of the line , some NSA logging thing… id really love to know what the hell that was exactly! it seriously was disturbing! also called a number i had already saved in my phone, so it wasnt a wrong dial… My girlfriend heard everything i was saying on the other line but i couldnt hear her at all… ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2015, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/11 "2015-08-02T15:10:12Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > (Draws the blinds) > > Who else have you told about this? Were you followed? Don’t answer out loud - sometimes the walls have ears. Is it starting already? I guess I better dig up all my Kalashnikovs today. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2015, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/12 "2015-08-02T17:32:24Z")
Sounds like the beginning of a horror movie… ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2015, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/13 "2015-08-02T18:25:28Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > Sounds like the beginning of a horror movie… Or a spy movie … ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2015, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/14 "2015-08-02T19:07:15Z")
Oh no … I’ve already read this thread … is it too late now? ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2015, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/15 "2015-08-02T19:08:29Z")
Don’t panic! Just show this thread to someone else, and you will pass the curse on to them. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2015, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/16 "2015-08-02T19:21:23Z")
Blessed was the day you were born, Mr **Tangent** ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/17 "2015-08-07T17:20:12Z")
> [@projectjason](#): > > This happened to me yesterday! > i was trying to call my girlfriend in miami, im in atlanta right now on a work trip, sometime during the afternoon… > > i was calling using my headphones in the park,…i do remember hearing the mans robotic voice… > i specifically remember him saying " youll mark the words shit please" …it freaked me out! > > i made my roommate listen a little bit… > > a womans robotic voice came on and she did the very same thing… > > i wish i didnt hang up and listened more… > > we joked about it being the other side of the line , some NSA logging thing… > > id really love to know what the hell that was exactly! it seriously was disturbing! > also called a number i had already saved in my phone, so it wasnt a wrong dial… > My girlfriend heard everything i was saying on the other line but i couldnt hear her at all… Question for you: Which cell phone company do you use? I’m wondering if this is something in the cell phone network equipment itself or if it’s somewhere else. ---
**Author:** ![DataX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/18 "2015-08-07T19:22:45Z")
> [@SanibelMan](#): > > I found a couple of Reddit threads of similar tales: > > [Something happened on the phone that I couldn’t explain the other day](https://www.reddit.com/r/Glitch_in_the_Matrix/comments/363p1l/something_happened_on_the_phone_that_i_couldnt/) > > [Weird Cell Phone Interruption](http://www.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/comments/36agyf/weird_cell_phone_interruption/) > > The second thread includes a reference to [this PDF file,](http://www.haskins.yale.edu/SR/SR037/SR037_12.pdf) which discusses an experiment called the [Modified Rhyme Test](https://www.meyersound.com/support/papers/speech/mrt.htm) on page 131. I just came across [this link](http://www.pscr.gov/projects/audio_quality/mrt_library/overview/) from the Public Safety Communications Research branch of the Dept. of Commerce, and I’m downloading their audio source files to see if it matches what I heard. The seems like the most likely explanation - there is a method to test the line quality - using this modified rhyme test - and probably is usually activated with some sort of special number/key press/whatever. Each company might have their own method of doing this. I used to spend my misspent youth as what one might term a phreaker - and came across many telephone company test lines, but nothing like this. ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/19 "2015-08-08T00:31:53Z")
> [@DataX](#): > > The seems like the most likely explanation - there is a method to test the line quality - using this modified rhyme test - and probably is usually activated with some sort of special number/key press/whatever. > > Each company might have their own method of doing this. I used to spend my misspent youth as what one might term a phreaker - and came across many telephone company test lines, but nothing like this. Interesting! I’ve been listening to the tapes of Evan Doorbell in recent months. Something about the clicks, clunks and beeps of the old network fascinates me. The line quality test makes some sense, but I don’t understand why other people would report the swear words and references to violence, unless it’s some sort of dark in-joke among the techs. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2015, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200/20 "2015-08-08T01:47:42Z")
> [@SanibelMan](#): > > unless it’s some sort of dark in-joke among the techs. Sure, that is what it is. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-call-answered-by-youll-mark-the-word/725200.md?page=2)