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The human brain is truly amazing… We aren’t able to do much when we’re born. But the next thing you know, a little person is saying their first words. Then using full sentences. And later, reading and writing. Think about reading for a minute. We’re basically decoding random markings into meaningful messages. And we get to a point where we can do this fast. And without thinking. Like you might have done just now.

But sometimes we come across something so confusing we need to stop. Go back. And read it again. Until it hopefully starts to make sense. Unfortunately, some things will never make sense. Like a few of the signs posted in the r/dontdeadopeninside online community. It’s a space dedicated to “signs/media that read as nonsense if read normally: from left to right”. It has over 714 thousand members sharing the funniest, most bizarre signs they’ve ever come across. Keep scrolling for a list of our best of all time signs posted by the community, and let us know which ones really left you confused.

#1 So I Fart Old Dust

Image credits: variousbirds

#2 We Buy Men Used 29 And Up

Image credits: nowakhm

#3 Say To Sliders Drugs To No Yes

Image credits: night_chaser_

There’s a whole science behind reading. And researchers from various fields continue to study it. Some want to understand how we make sense of words. Others are looking for new ways of teaching people to read. One of the things they’ve found is that the human brain is not prewired to learn to read naturally. It’s something we are taught or must learn. During reading, various parts of our brain work together to make words come to life – and make sense.

“The ability to read text, process it and understand its meaning,” is how Oxford Owl describes reading comprehension. The University Of Oxford’s homeschooling site breaks it down like this: “It relies on two, interconnected abilities: word reading (being able to decode the symbols on the page) and language comprehension (being able to understand the meaning of the words and sentences).”

#4 We Stand With No Standing Ukraine

Image credits: jaber-allen

#5 Asia Rden Ensb Vgio Ocko

Image credits: acrawf1

#6 I Hate To Do This To A Fellow Climate Activist But

Image credits: _temporarilystairs_

The two need to work together like a well-oiled machine. Meaning, if you can decode words, but don’t understand their meaning, you won’t be able to comprehend a text. And if you can understand what the words mean, but you can’t decode them, you also won’t be able to comprehend text.

#7 Push Animal For Heat Heat!

Image credits: MasterBallsCK

#8 Stand Hong With Kong

Image credits: pedrojalapa

#9 Took A Wee While To Design This Masterpiece

Image credits: cwWalshyy

There are many factors that can impact our ability to understand text. Dyslexia is one of them. The Mayo Clinic defines it as “a learning disorder that involves difficulty reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words (decoding).” Researchers have found it’s caused by disruptions in how someone’s brain processes writing so they can understand it.

#10 Nothingnothing Right Inleft In My My Leftright Brainbrain

Image credits: jcthefluteman

#11 Jesus Scares

Image credits: Comet_Dawn

#12 Will There Be Blood Or Not!?

Image credits: reddit.com

You are not doomed if you have dyslexia. Some super famous people have revealed they’re dyslexic. Kim Kardashian recently spoke about her daughter North’s diagnosis. She’s one of many to speak out and break the stigma attached to learning disabilities.

Anderson Cooper is an Emmy Award winning news anchor and journalist. A big part of his job involves reading words on a teleprompter. But as a kid, Cooper struggled to read. He’s spoken publicly about his struggles. And said he would carry a book around with him but “would just pretend to read it, because I had trouble reading and making sense of words, in particular, letters.”

#13 Don’t Save A Life Be Afraid To Give Blood

Image credits: dontdeadopeninside

#14 Guaranteed Reduced Quality

Image credits: Maqwheel

#15 7 Surprising Black Ways To Use Beans

Image credits: maximum_chungus

Cooper admitted even those who knew him well had no idea he had dyslexia. “I think it’s a sign of probably how well I tried to hide it when I was a little kid,” he said. “I remember at the time being concerned that other people would find out about it.” The news anchor has credited teachers and reading specialists with helping him to overcome his difficulty and excel in his career.

#16 Always Forgotten. Remembered Never

Image credits: Neverknew_whattodo

#17 You Don’t Matter. Worry

Image credits: ghkddbsgk

#18 Who Else Is Donating To End Children?

Image credits: JoshuaP01

As an actress, Keira Knightley’s job also involves a lot of reading. But she too revealed she once struggled with dyslexia. She told the Guardian that she overcame her reading difficulties with the help of Emma Thompson’s Sense and Sensibility screenplay script.

“My mum, who worked with her on Sense and Sensibility, got me a copy of the screenplay Emma had written,” said Knightley. “And I was – am – dyslexic and the way she got me over it was to say: ‘If Emma Thompson couldn’t read, she’d make sure she’d get over it, so you have to start reading, because that’s what Emma Thompson would do’.”

#19 Don’t Never Drink And Drive. Drive High

Image credits: MrShiftyJack

#20 No Daniel Craig No

Image credits: shrobotic

#21 Wet Men Paint At Work

Image credits: KaibaMixi

Sometimes, the issue doesn’t lie with the reader. No matter how good we normally are at reading or comprehension, some things are just hard to read. Like a few of the signs on this list. The Sign Research Foundation actually did a study on this very thing.

They found that the number one reason people couldn’t decipher a sign was because the letters were too small. 83% of respondents surveyed gave that as their main gripe. While 71% blamed the placement of the sign. Just under half had an issue with the font used.

#22 Never Comeback Give Up Robert

Image credits: FabulousGiraffe

#23 It Doesn’t Look Good Either Way

Image credits: baconworld

#24 In Czech: “Sama Doma” Means Home Alone, “Sado Mama”…you Probably Know

Image credits: pepaczlol

Many marketing, PR and creative experts will agree that signage is vital to your business. And there are some tips to take into consideration when planning yours. These include keeping signs visible and legible. Living by “less is more” – short messages are easier to read. You should also avoid clutter. Use clean, crisp and easy-to-read fonts. Pay attention to the colors you use. And our personal favorite: don’t write a bunch of rubbish on your sign!