# ¿uʍop ǝpısdn pɐǝɹ noʎ op ןןǝʍ ʍoɥ

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-op-pisdn-p-no-op-o/555086
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [September 26, 2010, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-op-pisdn-p-no-op-o/555086 "2010-09-26T12:19:06Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1

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### 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: [September 26, 2010, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-op-pisdn-p-no-op-o/555086/1 "2010-09-26T12:19:06Z")

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No, I’m not going to do that to the whole post. But I just noticed that, when I read upside down, I more notice that I’m reading backwards, and it takes me a bit to realize that I could flip it around and read it forwards.

Yes, it’s M & P, but it’s a poll, so I thought I’d put it here.

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### Author: ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2010, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-op-pisdn-p-no-op-o/555086/2 "2010-09-26T12:27:25Z")

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_Finally_, I’ve found a good use for Control+Alt+Down Arrow.

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### Author: ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2010, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-op-pisdn-p-no-op-o/555086/3 "2010-09-26T12:34:26Z")

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I chose the first option because I can, easily. However, either that font sucks balls or I need new glasses because it’s very blurry. Maybe it’s my boyfriend’s monitor. I’m not used to his.

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### Author: ![Mr.Accident](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Mr.Accident](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Accident)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2010, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-op-pisdn-p-no-op-o/555086/4 "2010-09-26T12:51:40Z")

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Pretty easily. I had the habit as a kid of reading my books upside down during class, which caused my teachers to think I was just goofing off. Quite a few times I had to read aloud with my book upside to prove that I could, and was, reading that way.

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### Author: ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2010, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-op-pisdn-p-no-op-o/555086/5 "2010-09-26T12:52:53Z")

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As an economics teacher, I’ve learned to draw and label all the major economic models upside down, across a desk when tutoring. Compared to that, reading upside down is nothing.

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### Author: ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2010, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-op-pisdn-p-no-op-o/555086/6 "2010-09-26T12:55:50Z")

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I have to sit there and interpret it but I can do it.

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### Author: ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2010, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-op-pisdn-p-no-op-o/555086/7 "2010-09-26T12:56:27Z")

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Flashback to fourth grade. Our teacher was giving us a lesson with the help of overhead foils, and she was sitting next to my desk. The answer to a question she threw out was on the next slide, so I blurted it out without thinking. She looked at me and said: "You read that _upside down and backwards."_ I guess I did. I never thought about it until then. I just did it.

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### Author: ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2010, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-op-pisdn-p-no-op-o/555086/8 "2010-09-26T12:58:01Z")

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I spent a lot of time in the principal’s office in high school. Reading upside down is a skill one acquires at such times. I’ve kept it up since because you never know when you’ll be able to use it and there’s no time to learn on the fly.

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### Author: ![Hokkaido\_Brit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d26b3c/32.png) [@Hokkaido\_Brit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hokkaido_Brit)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2010, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-op-pisdn-p-no-op-o/555086/9 "2010-09-26T13:56:42Z")

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> [@Mr.Accident](#):
>
> Pretty easily. I had the habit as a kid of reading my books upside down during class, which caused my teachers to think I was just goofing off. Quite a few times I had to read aloud with my book upside to prove that I could, and was, reading that way.

Cute!

My niece’s teacher told her parents that when she comes to a scary book she reads it backwards so it’s less scary!

I’m good at reading and writing upside down because I’m an English language teacher and often model handwriting or spellings for kids from the other side of their tables.

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### Author: ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2010, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-op-pisdn-p-no-op-o/555086/10 "2010-09-26T15:18:07Z")

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˙ooʇ uʍop ǝpısdn ʎןqɐssɐd ǝʇıɹʍ uɐɔ ı ˙ʇı ɥʇıʍ sɯǝןqoɹd ʎuɐ ǝʌɐɥ ʇ,uop ı

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### Author: ![Teacake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Teacake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teacake)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2010, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-op-pisdn-p-no-op-o/555086/11 "2010-09-26T15:18:11Z")

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I chose the first option. I’m a teacher. Even if I hadn’t already been able to do so, I’d have been a fool not to practise until I could.

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### Author: ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2010, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-op-pisdn-p-no-op-o/555086/12 "2010-09-26T15:49:59Z")

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Pretty well but not quite as fluidly as right side up.

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### Author: ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2010, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-op-pisdn-p-no-op-o/555086/13 "2010-09-26T15:53:39Z")

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After I’ve seen that it’s upside down I can very nearly read it as well as if it were upside up.

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### 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: [September 26, 2010, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-op-pisdn-p-no-op-o/555086/14 "2010-09-26T16:22:45Z")

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Ah, but can you _type_ upside down? 🙂

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### Author: ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-op-pisdn-p-no-op-o/555086/15 "2010-09-26T16:28:42Z")

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My upside-down reading is slower than my upright reading, but it’s still faster than most peoples’ upright reading. I’ve never made an effort to cultivate the skill, but it does come in handy when teaching, as others have mentioned.

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### Author: ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2010, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-op-pisdn-p-no-op-o/555086/16 "2010-09-26T16:35:19Z")

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I have no problem reading upside-down . . . or even reading the label on an LP while it’s rotating.

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### Author: ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2010, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-op-pisdn-p-no-op-o/555086/17 "2010-09-26T17:07:00Z")

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I do well reading it when the type is normal, but I notice that in the poll the ‘g’ and ‘h’ in right are aligned oddly compared to how the would be on a sheet up paper turned upsidedown.

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### Author: ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2010, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-op-pisdn-p-no-op-o/555086/18 "2010-09-26T17:30:10Z")

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It’s really not that hard with a bit of practice

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### 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: [September 26, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-op-pisdn-p-no-op-o/555086/19 "2010-09-26T17:32:23Z")

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> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#):
>
> I do well reading it when the type is normal, but I notice that in the poll the ‘g’ and ‘h’ in right are aligned oddly compared to how the would be on a sheet up paper turned upsidedown.

There’s a website that converts the text. The ‘upside-down’ letters are mostly extended Latin characters that are used in things like IPA, so they don’t necessarily align the same. Plus there are a few from other scripts (the upside-down g is some kind of Cyrillic letter, I think).

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### Author: ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-op-pisdn-p-no-op-o/555086/20 "2010-09-26T17:39:21Z")

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> [@Sunspace](#):
>
> > [@Mr.Miskatonic](#):
> >
> > I do well reading it when the type is normal, but I notice that in the poll the ‘g’ and ‘h’ in right are aligned oddly compared to how the would be on a sheet up paper turned upsidedown.
> 
> There’s a website that converts the text. The ‘upside-down’ letters are mostly extended Latin characters that are used in things like IPA, so they don’t necessarily align the same. Plus there are a few from other scripts (the upside-down g is some kind of Cyrillic letter, I think).

Ah, I was wondering how the heck you did that.

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