mediumlogic

Illustration for riddle: Finished files are the result of years of scientific study combined with the experience of years.
Ho — Can you figure out this riddle?

Finished files are the result of years of scientific study combined with the experience of years. How many F's are in the previous sentence?

One of average intelligence finds three of them. If you spotted four, you're above average. If you got five, you can turn your nose at most anybody. If you caught six, you are a genius. There is no catch. Many people forget the "of"s. The human brain tends to see them as V's and not F's.

Why this works

This riddle cleverly plays on the letter "F" and how we perceive words. At first glance, the sentence seems straightforward, but it contains several instances of the letter "F" that people often overlook, particularly in the word "of." The trick lies in our cognitive biases; many readers subconsciously misread "of" as "v," leading to undercounting the number of F's. By challenging you to count the F's in a sentence that mixes nouns and prepositions, the riddle highlights how our brains can sometimes play tricks on us, demonstrating the gap between perception and reality.

Common Wrong Answers

“Two”

The guess 'two' may come from counting the first 'F' in 'Finished' and the second 'F' in 'files', missing the 'of's entirely.

“Four”

Many people might count the 'F's in 'Finished', 'files', and mistakenly include 'of' twice, leading them to overcount.

“Five”

The guess of 'five' often comes from an incorrect inclusion of extra 'F's, as the brain might misinterpret the 'of's while scanning the sentence.

More logic riddles →More medium riddles →Browse all riddles →