Spelling matters?

[Baker, John]

        Although the message seems easy to read, the words are not well-scrambled.  Here's the same message, with the internal letters arranged alphabetically; that seems suitably close to a random re-arrangement.

        >"Accdionrg to a raceeehrsr at Cabdigmre Ueiinrstvy, it denos't
maettr in waht oedrr the leertts in a word are, the olny
iamnoprtt thing is taht the first and last leertts be at the
rghit pacle. The rest can be a total mess and you can siltl raed
it whioutt pbelorm. This is bacesue the hamun mind deos not
raed eervy leettr by ielstf, but the word as a whole."<

        This actually makes the shorter words easier to read, especially when the internal letters happen to be alphabetical already, but longer words become progressively less recognizable.

John Baker


-----Original Message-----
From: Laurence Horn [mailto:laurence.horn at YALE.EDU]
Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2003 11:04 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: Spelling matters?


>
>"Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't
>mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny
>iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the
>rghit pclae The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed
>it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not
>raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe".