# Unreal coincidence: MS Word users **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 18, 2001, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unreal-coincidence-ms-word-users/82467 "2001-09-18T21:27:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unreal-coincidence-ms-word-users/82467/1 "2001-09-18T21:27:35Z")
Open a new document. Increase font size to 72 (just for better viewing). Type in the letters NYC Highlight that text and convert the font type to “wingdings.” :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unreal-coincidence-ms-word-users/82467/2 "2001-09-18T21:34:12Z")
You forgot to also switch it to webdings. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unreal-coincidence-ms-word-users/82467/3 "2001-09-18T21:38:16Z")
[Gee, this looks familiar.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=87805) ---
**Author:** ![Sylkyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Sylkyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylkyn)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unreal-coincidence-ms-word-users/82467/4 "2001-09-18T21:39:07Z")
Deja vu! 🙂 [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=87035](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=87035) I didn’t try it until now, however. Very cool. ---
**Author:** ![andygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@andygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andygirl)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unreal-coincidence-ms-word-users/82467/5 "2001-09-18T21:40:08Z")
For those of us not privy, what the heck does it do? ---
**Author:** ![Sylkyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Sylkyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylkyn)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unreal-coincidence-ms-word-users/82467/6 "2001-09-18T21:40:18Z")
Crap! Simulpost! ---
**Author:** ![Sylkyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Sylkyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylkyn)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unreal-coincidence-ms-word-users/82467/7 "2001-09-18T21:45:09Z")
**Andygirl** , you type in the letters N Y C. Then change it to wingdings, and it reads in characters. The N becomes a poison sign. Skull and crossbones. The Y becomes the Star of David. The C becomes the “thumbs down” sign. Then changing it to webdings it reads like this: N becomes an eye. Y becomes a heart, or love sign. C becomes the outline of a city, or what looks like a small silhouette of New York. I think it’s pretty neat, myself. ---
**Author:** ![Sylkyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Sylkyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylkyn)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unreal-coincidence-ms-word-users/82467/8 "2001-09-18T21:50:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SilkyThreat \* > \*\* > The C becomes the “thumbs down” sign. > > \*\* Well, hell. That **should** read “thumbs **UP** ”!! _sigh_ Preview used to be one of my better friends. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unreal-coincidence-ms-word-users/82467/9 "2001-09-18T21:51:29Z")
Try typing NYC in Vacation MT font (also a ding), you get no pets - golf - while scuba diving. Try it with the Milestones font, you get cats - graduate - soccer ball. Very strange indeed… ---
**Author:** ![saepiroth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@saepiroth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saepiroth)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unreal-coincidence-ms-word-users/82467/10 "2001-09-18T21:53:09Z")
NYC in webdings is “eyeball”, “heart”, and “city”, or “I Love New York”. NYC in Wingdings is “Skull and Crossbones”, “Star of David”, and “thumbs up”, or “dead jews is good”. a disturbing line, which some people think is intentional. i think “Webdings” is intentional, but “Wingdings” is coincidental. if JEW = “skull and crossbones” “fire” “thumbs up”, or something similar, i would be suspicious. and disturbed. but, as it is… oops, on preview i see other responses… oh well. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unreal-coincidence-ms-word-users/82467/11 "2001-09-18T21:57:31Z")
So what do you make of this? I type in my name and get: Haloed cross, finger pointing to the cross, skull and crossbones, thumbs down, Star of David. _What can it all mean?_ By the way, what’s the significance of putting everything in 72 points? It’s the same symbols, no matter how big. ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unreal-coincidence-ms-word-users/82467/12 "2001-09-18T22:14:48Z")
Hmm… my name in Wingdings is a smiley face then a bunch of weird little symbols, but in Webdings it’s an island, a present, two fire trucks, the Information sign (i in a circle), and another present. My username in Webdings is an X, a check, an empty box, Info sign, black dot, empty box, ambulance, Info sign, two satellites and an Info sign. Ooh, if you type my name in all caps in Webdings it’s a an island, the desert, two broken buildings (or something), the beach and the desert. Imagine that! ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unreal-coincidence-ms-word-users/82467/13 "2001-09-18T22:16:15Z")
Why is the m in Webdings a scary hanging faceless man? ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unreal-coincidence-ms-word-users/82467/14 "2001-09-18T22:38:46Z")
My initials in Webdings is several houses, railroad tracks(going up), and one house. The way it works, the dings blend together seamlessly so it looks like a little picture. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![saepiroth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@saepiroth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saepiroth)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unreal-coincidence-ms-word-users/82467/15 "2001-09-18T22:42:58Z")
looks better in 72. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unreal-coincidence-ms-word-users/82467/16 "2001-09-18T23:41:32Z")
and why do people think it has anything to do with MS Word? You can see the same thing in any program that allows you to choose fonts. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unreal-coincidence-ms-word-users/82467/17 "2001-09-18T23:50:17Z")
Y’all are slow on the uptake. William Poundstone wrote about this in 1993 in his book **Biggest Secrets**. (the part about the Wingdings, not the Webdings) Robin ---
**Author:** ![Ripple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@Ripple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ripple)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2001, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unreal-coincidence-ms-word-users/82467/18 "2001-09-19T00:57:42Z")
So what is the purpose of these fonts? I have Wingdings, Wingdings 2, Wingdings 3 & Webdings, but for the life of me can’t find an application for them. Any thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2001, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unreal-coincidence-ms-word-users/82467/19 "2001-09-19T01:03:00Z")
Well, I use Wingdings to make nifty li’l’ custom bullets for bulleted lists. That’s it, really. I don’t understand Webdings’ purpose. ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2001, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unreal-coincidence-ms-word-users/82467/20 "2001-09-19T01:42:18Z")
My first name in wingdings has fingers pointing at unhappy smilies. I’ve always suspected as much. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unreal-coincidence-ms-word-users/82467.md?page=2)