Chain emails normally get about 3 seconds of my time, if that, before they get sent straight to the rubbish bin, but this one (thanks mum) actually piqued my interest as it involves the strange way the mind works. This little excerpt of text just goes to show what a great tool the human brain really is and proves it in such a simple "before your very eyes" manner.

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too

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 rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, 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!

I'm not sure it's entirely due the positioning of the first and last letters (does anyone else stumble a bit on "understand"?), but more a case of your mind preempting what you're about to read. I think the positioning of the first and last letters just helps it along the way.