⚠️This fact has been debunked
The 'Cambridge University research' is a fabricated claim. No such study exists. The phenomenon is real but vastly exaggerated by the meme, and the original research was by Graham Rawlinson at Nottingham University in 1976, not Cambridge.
A viral internet meme claims that Cambridge University research proved you can read text with scrambled letters as long as the first and last letters are correct. However, no such Cambridge study exists—the claim is completely fabricated, though the meme references real (but misrepresented) research from Nottingham University in 1976.
The Cambridge Word Scramble Myth: Debunked
You've probably seen it in your inbox or on social media: "Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are..." The meme claims Cambridge researchers proved our brains can read scrambled text effortlessly. There's just one problem: no such study exists.
Matt Davis, a researcher at Cambridge's Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, investigated this viral claim and found zero evidence of any Cambridge research on scrambled reading. In fact, he notes that to his knowledge, no one at Cambridge UK is currently researching this topic at all.
So Where Did This Come From?
Davis traced the phenomenon back to Graham Rawlinson, who conducted actual research at Nottingham University (not Cambridge) in 1976. Rawlinson's PhD thesis explored how randomizing letters in the middle of words affected reading ability in skilled readers. That's real research—but it bears little resemblance to the viral meme's exaggerated claims.
The meme took a kernel of legitimate psychological research and wrapped it in a fake Cambridge pedigree, presumably to make it sound more authoritative. It worked spectacularly well.
The Reality: It Actually Slows You Down
Research by Rayner and colleagues found that reading scrambled words produces an 11% slowdown in reading speed—not the seamless comprehension the meme suggests. Other studies found even more dramatic effects:
- 12% slower for middle letter switches
- 26% slower for transpositions at word ends
- 36% slower for mix-ups at word beginnings
That's hardly "it doesn't matter what order the letters are in."
Why Does It Work At All?
The meme's example passages are deliberately constructed to be readable through multiple linguistic tricks. Short words are easier to unscramble. Predictable topics provide context clues. Our brains do process words somewhat holistically, relying on what we expect to see as much as what's actually there.
But throw in some longer words, technical vocabulary, or less predictable content, and the whole effect falls apart. Try reading a scrambled legal contract or medical journal and see how far you get.
The Phenomenon Has a Name
This effect is sometimes called "typoglycemia," a playful portmanteau that sounds scientific but is itself a made-up term. It's become a perfect case study in how internet memes can transform minor psychological phenomena into wildly exaggerated claims, complete with fabricated institutional backing.
The irony? A meme about how our brains take shortcuts when reading became popular precisely because our brains take shortcuts when evaluating information—seeing "Cambridge University" and assuming it must be legitimate research.