Self referential sentence

Logic Level 1

Which option will make the following sentence true?

The letter "e" is used $\text{ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ }$ times in this sentence.

nine ten eleven twelve

4 solutions

Fidel Simanjuntak
Apr 11, 2017

$\text{Th} \color{#D61F06}\text{e} \space \color{#333333}\text{l} \color{#D61F06}\text{e}\color{#333333}\text{tt}\color{#D61F06}\text{e}\color{#333333}\text{r} \space \text{'} \color{#D61F06} \text{e} \color{#333333} \text{'} \space \text{is} \space \text{us} \color{#D61F06} \text{e} \color{#333333} \text{d} \space \text{\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_} \space \text{tim} \color{#D61F06} \text{e} \color{#333333} \text{s} \space \text{in} \space \text{this} \space \text{s} \color{#D61F06} \text{e} \color{#333333} \text{nt} \color{#D61F06} \text{e} \color{#333333} \text{nc} \color{#D61F06} \text{e}$

In that sentence, we used letter 'e' nine times. If we complete the sentence, we have

$\text{Th} \color{#D61F06}\text{e} \space \color{#333333}\text{l} \color{#D61F06}\text{e}\color{#333333}\text{tt}\color{#D61F06}\text{e}\color{#333333}\text{r} \space \text{'} \color{#D61F06} \text{e} \color{#333333} \text{'} \space \text{is} \space \text{us} \color{#D61F06} \text{e} \color{#333333} \text{d} \space \text{nin} \color{#D61F06} \text{e} \space \color{#333333} \text{tim} \color{#D61F06} \text{e} \color{#333333} \text{s} \space \text{in} \space \text{this} \space \text{s} \color{#D61F06} \text{e} \color{#333333} \text{nt} \color{#D61F06} \text{e} \color{#333333} \text{nc} \color{#D61F06} \text{e}$

Which is, we used letter 'e' ten times to complete the sentence, hence 10 times.

solution correct but proof wrong. it is ten in the blank not nine.

Harout G. Vartanian - 4 years, 1 month ago

Yes they failed to state that ten fits in the sentence, with it having ten e's. You can't count the amount of e's, put the word nine in, then count ten e's 😂

Thomas Fry - 4 years, 1 month ago

the answer would be 9 if we write the number '9' instead of the word 'nine'

Harout G. Vartanian - 4 years, 1 month ago

But there's no '9' in the options.

Christopher Boo - 4 years, 1 month ago

For completeness, can you show that the answer cannot be thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, etc?

Pi Han Goh - 4 years, 2 months ago

Okay, I'll edit my solution later. Becoz now, I have to go to school..

Fidel Simanjuntak - 4 years, 2 months ago

if eleven had 2 e's wasn't that another answer?

Mayank Chaturvedi - 4 years, 1 month ago

But eleven has 3 e's

Thomas Fry - 4 years, 1 month ago

@Thomas Fry – Yep I said ' $If$ eleven had 2 e's ". It doesn't have 3 e's in reality.

Mayank Chaturvedi - 4 years, 1 month ago

That's very clever!

J G - 4 years, 1 month ago

Thank you!

Fidel Simanjuntak - 4 years, 1 month ago

when you put the letter "e" in quotes -- it's not USED, it's MENTIONED. see the use vs. mention distinction in logic. the right answer should be nine!

KMD - 4 years, 1 month ago

There are multiple possible answers depending on what you write in the blank. 9 would be correct, though nine would not. Ten would be correct as well. If you wrote "many" in the blank, then nine or 9 would be correct; because the direction at the bottom still asks you to count the e's. If you wrote "a veritable plethora of" then 12 would be correct.

Kurt Johnson - 4 years, 1 month ago

The instructions say complete the sentence below. It does not say to use the answer to complete the sentence below. I competed the sentence with 'several', so the answer is eleven. I completed it with 'many' or 'ample', so the answer is nine.

The fact is that the person who posted this question, as written is wrong and not nearly as BRILLIANT as he thinks. He actually took this question from another test, in which it states complete the sentence with the correct answer. (In which case, the answer is ten.) So, he is not only not BRILLIANT, but is a lousy copy & paste thief.

As presented, there is no instruction on how to complete the sentence. It is inferred by the reader, which, as you know, is fallacious.

William Stack - 4 years, 1 month ago

Jan Daniel Bouhs
May 3, 2017

Adding the word nine or ten adds another e to the sentence, making ten the correct answer. Adding the word eleven or twelve to the sentence, adds two more e to the sentence, making eleven the right answer. Thus, there are actually two correct answers.

Agree with William. The word "nine" is not part of the question but the solution. The question doesn't ask for the inclusive answer. If it was, then yes, it would be "ten", but it's not.

Knappstein Thirty-Seven - 4 years, 1 month ago

As presented, there is no instruction on how to complete the sentence. It is inferred by the reader, which, as you know, is fallacious.

William Stack - 4 years, 1 month ago

Adding the word eleven actually adds 3 e's to the sentence.

Christopher Boo - 4 years, 1 month ago

Mohammad Khaza
Jul 7, 2017

The letter "e" is used times in this sentence.-------------(there is 9 "e" in this sentence.)

so, if we add nine there will be ten "e"..............(false.)

if we add ten there will be ten "e"..................(true)

Ryan Trinder
May 11, 2017

Adding the word nine or ten adds another e to the sentence, making ten

yeah, so you have shown that "ten" can be the answer, but why can't the answer be "eleven" or "twelve"?

Pi Han Goh - 4 years, 1 month ago

Self referential sentence

4 solutions

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