“I have 6 eggs. I cracked 2. I fried 2. I ate 2. How many eggs do I have left?” At first glance, we think: this is simple. After a few seconds, we give the answer almost automatically. And yet… most people get it wrong. Why? Because this riddle plays with our reflexes and our way of analyzing. Come, let’s analyze it together?
Riddle: difficult or clever?
This little riddle is making the rounds on social media, and it’s easy to see why: it seems obvious, but it reveals a lot about our logic. Here’s the sentence:
“I have 6 eggs. I broke 2. I fried 2. I ate 2. How many eggs do I have left?”
Nothing complicated. No hidden puns, no visual traps. And yet… many people fall for it.
Has your brain missed a step?
Most often, you read quickly, sum up the actions and draw conclusions:
“6 – 2 – 2 – 2 = 0… so more eggs?”
Error. This assumes that each activity requires the use of different eggs. However, the sentence does not imply this.
In fact, the text states:
You start with 6 eggs.
You crack 2.
You fry 2 (and to fry them… you have to crack them, of course).
You eat 2 eggs (most likely the ones you just fried).
Yes! You have four eggs left. This puzzle relies on the illusion of accumulation: our brains automatically add up actions as if they were always about different things. But here, everything could just as easily be about the same two eggs.
