Okay, my science geek side is showing a little in these last couple of posts.  I have a bachelor’s in Biology. It’s part of what makes me a kick-ass researcher.

I found the following posted on the Facebook Wall of sister romance author Liz Fielding.  It’s an interesting test of how your mind works.  If you can read it, you’ll understand the test.  If you can’t, never fear — I’ve translated it after the jump.  And if you’re a writer, well, don’t send in a manuscript written on this principle unless you just adore rejection letters.

Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. 

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid! aoccdrnig to a rscheerarch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod aepapr; the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! 

Translation:

 

Can you read this?  Only 55 people out of 100 can.

 

I couldn’t believe that I could actually understand what I was reading.  The phenomenal power of the human mind! According to a researcher at Cambridge University, it doesn’t matter in what order the letter in a word appear; the only important thing is that the first and last letter be in the right place.  The rest can be a total mess and you can still read it without a problem.  This is because the human mind does not read every letter by itself, but the word as a whole.  Amazing, huh?  Yeah and I always thought spelling was important!

 

 

 

 

Photo credit: taod (flickr)