Could you say the alphabet backwards?

Only because I practiced it way back when.

I get stumped after ACAB.

No.

I mean, I could, but it would take me a long time and lots of long pauses.

Yes, but I could not sing it backward.

The idea that reciting the alphabet backward is a common field sobriety test is a myth.

Yes, but only because I practiced

I can say the Greek alphabet backwards while holding a burning match. Who says you don’t learn anything in college?

Most sober policemen could not say the alphabet backwards; this is not accurate.

Nope but I can count backwards from 100 by 7s because I practice it for the mini-mental. (Or at least I could last time I tried!)

Interesting just tried and no I couldn’t.

“The alphabet backwards”…yup. (Yeah, I know the details say “recite”, but I couldn’t resist.

Yes, with a fair amount of thought, I probably could.

@janbb if you practice does it count?

@JLeslie Yup. They don’t ask if you practiced it.

That’s not the point, but ok.

@hat TOCCIADC

Only by pausing to think about the forward sequence before most of the letters. Though if I did that several times, I’d probably start remembering it backwards. I think I may only have ever attempted to even start doing that a few times at most, in my lifetime.

I did get pulled over by police with nothing better do do once and tested for drunkenness. Also once as a pedestrian. In neither case had I been drinking alcohol, and in neither case did they ask me to say the alphabet backwards. IIRC, each time they did a subset of: asked me to walk a straight line, maybe touch my nose, and blow into a thing.

If they did ask me to say the alphabet backwards, I’d probably say something like, “I’ve never tried, and expect I’ll probably make a mistake.”

If I practiced enunciating “tebahpla eht”, I eventually could. ;-)

I heard it was a trick question. A sober person would try then give up, stating that they couldn’t do it. A drunk person would keep trying because their judgement was impaired enough that they wouldn’t know to stop.

Yes, without thinking, but only because I practiced with this annoying song a long time ago.

@ForeverFree ok, regardless, could you recite it backwards or not?

Nope, not at all.

No. Also I have to sing it to go forward.

ZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFECBA.

Yes. Not hard. Not only have I spent a lot of my life immersed in words and letters but I also visualize them as I think of them. So, to try this, I just mentally “looked” at the alphabet starting at the end and then read from right to left.

I slowed down a little at a few spots, but not for long, just a second or two..

Oddly, though—very oddly: I have synesthesia, causing me to see words and letters in color. But when I did this, twice—no color. No idea what that means.

@Jeruba I think I have aphantasia, so I can’t picture something like that. It’s weird, I know so well how some things look that I can describe them in detail, but I don’t think I see it like most people do.

My question to the cop would be “let me hear you do it first”

@KRD What about (D) ??? you forgot D you must be drunk or high or both.

No, at least not without a fair bit of effort.