I associate colors with letters and numbers. I have done this as early as I can remember but I did not learn that it was a recognized neurological condition until recently. Below you can see the alphabet the way I view it along with various numbers and punctuation. If you are interested in learning more, visit some of the links at the bottom, or follow the synesthesia webring link to other sites.
Synesthesia is estimated to effect up to three percent of the population. People experince it in many different ways, including seeing sounds and smells. I have the most common form, color-letter synesthesia. It is not detrimental, and actually helps me remember things. When I used to work at the airport in catering I could remember what gates and planes that I have visited by the colors I assciated with them.
Synaesthetes tend to confuse left and right, which applies to me. Although I am excellent at navigating and remembering spatial directions, when giving directions to people I confuse left and right all the time.
A correlation between the artists and synaesthetes exists, perhaps indiacting that people with synesthesia are more creative. I am not sure if this applies to me.
| t h e s y n e s t h e s i a w e b r i n g | |||
| back | list | join | forward |
Here are some Synesthetic links:
Synesthesia: Phenomenology And Neuropsychology
A review of current knowledge of synesthesia. – The author mentions that synesthetics are good at remembering the spatial locations of objects including memorizing floor plans and maps. This is a skill that I have. Also, he mentions that they often have right-left confusion (which I often do).
The UK Synaesthesia Association
This page provides a lot of great background info on Synesthesia.
Trends in colored letter synesthesia
The type of synesthesia that I have is colored letter synesthesia. This paper seeks to identify trends among several synthetics and their colored alphabets. My alphabet matches the trends pretty well.
64 Comments
I have synesthesia too. It is a really cool condition.
GO SYNESTHESIA PEOPLES!!!!!!
I didn’t figure out I had it until 6th grade, when I read a book called ‘A Mango-Shaped Space’ by Wendy Mass. I absolutely adore that book! It’s a realistic fiction novel.
My boyfriend told me that he has synesthesia and i was abousolutly thrilled because i think it is the coolest condition ever. When i tell people about it they think ive lost my mind but then they with they had it to. my boyfriend needs to talk to other syeneseetes to get over his fear of people finding out. i wish he was more open. any suggestions or websites i can sign him up for?
I have it most when I’m half asleep. It just makes sense to me that 6 is olive green and 8 is an orangy golded brown. Lowercase m is a bright but deep green.
Oh my Goodness!! I want to have this condition sooooo bad. I wish i could memorize all of the colors & numbers!
When I was little I had a very small case of it. It wasn’t so bad at all, just sometimes I would see d=orange or c=yellow. I think I might have grown out of it, is that possible?
my boyfriend says that when his grandma died his synesthesia increased dramatically. He says that everything has colors around it. people have a color and when they are mad they turn red, when they are pregnant he can see purple and when they get to be around 7 months, he can see the outline of the baby and see it moving. kinda weird but recently he told me that not only do people have color but he can see colors around things like trees, cars, power lines. He says it gets on him nerves but i think that its the best forever. He can also see when people are lying because they turn red. i can never let him guess his presents because if he guesses it and i say no he will know what i got for him. also he can tell if you’re playing a game like go-fish and cheat so i can never do that kind of things with him. if i do he lets me win. I wish he could talk to someone who has this to. if you know what Im talking about please give me some advice.
I agree with Tess (1/9/08): C=yellow, D=orange. A is definitely red and B brown.
most of my letters have colors, but not all. is that still considered synesthesia? all my numbers have colors. they also have personalities, which even i find pretty weird. four is definately my favorite because its nice and quiet…kind of like me.
Hello everybody
Im a synesthesic too…! And i have to say it’s certainly shocking when you know others around you do not “see” what you used to think is a normal thing. But when you used to, its amazing.
In answer to you TARA, i’d really like to congratulate you ’cause your supporting your boyfriend like that. I hope my girlfriend would be as considerated as you. (i dont have, but if a would…)
Check this website: (sorry im a lonely synest’, i don’t know if i can post a link, admin)
http://www.mixsig.net
And be happy both o’you
hi everyone. i have synesthesia and i have seen colors drifting in the air when i hear sound ever sinse i can remember. i associate letters, numbers, sounds, music, and words with color. i know i may sound wierd but the world is colorful to me, its like having the colorful gummie worms on the ice cream. ice cream is so bland without the color. when i read a Mango Shaped Space, i had no idea what i had, i thought everyone saw color. i learned about this a few years ago, in the sixth grade, now i know that not everyone sees color, and that its a rare thing. its pretty cool. if there is anyone out there who also sees color, blog because i only know two people tthat claim to have this wonderful rare gift of color. it would be fun to hear from you. well later people! oh and i am not flunking school, or getting bad grades, but algebra is not my thing, x is glassy maroon witha smeary shade of silver behind it, x cannot equal 3 because 3 is marigold orange!! yea.. oh and tess, i am not sure if it went away, but certain occasions can sort of snap you out of it, but once you have synesthesia, it stays with you. i hope you get your colors back, i love seeing mahogany rings in the air when the door shuts. good luck! oh and alex, that is a form of synesthesia. bye every one. a= hay yellow b=brown c=ocean blue d=a purplepink e=flower stem green on and on..
Via, your colors are all wrong! a is definitely red, b is dark yellowish, c is white, d is brown, and e is blue!
Hello again!!!
I’d like to tell you now what kind of synesthesia do i have. Well, my one is a cool mix: I see the music, every kind of music… can see colors, objects and lines, a lot of things and colors, but
when i hear a song, i mean a good song, wooow, then i can even feel the music, i start to see different scapes, like to be transported to another place, a colorfull place where everything is changing o color, the mountains, the sky, clouds, whatever, changes its color according the music and i can even touch the things, i feel i can touch the music, and a beatifull sensation of energy full me and… well, yeah, is amazing.
Sometimes i feel the flavor of the music or colors i see, or i can see the smellings too… so cool. I can see the voices and its texture too.
And other little things that makes me apreciate the simple things of the life.
I always thought everyone can see the same, but now that i know they don’t, Id like to share this gift with the world. Im starting a project to show in video or any media digital resource, what do i feel when i heard music, ’cause id want everyone to have the chance to see my world.
To love the life.
Thanks hehehe i think im inspired hehehe Come on!!! We are privileged.
Would you say we are the real-life equivalent of X men? hahaha
Hey I see colors for numbers, letters, music, everyday sounds, I hear motion(like lightning), words, smells, and sometimes I taste sound. Like the smell of sulfur is puke green and the taste of spongebobs voice is a cherry-grape. I had no Idea what synesthesia was untill I read the book A Mango Shaped Space, before I thought that I was the only one who saw like this because I knew that my friends didn’t see sounds and didn’t hear motion! I’d love to talk to someone else who tastes sounds!!!!!!!!
Hey Tara I have that too!!!!!!! Just maybe not as strong, it kinda feels like I’m reading their minds but in reality people amit this oderless, touchless, and undetectible gas type of things and some people can see it!! When their mood changes so do the colors of the gas. Its really cool
ok, just out of curiousity…
i was an article on the site that Web made a link for and it said:
“Other examples of synesthetic experiences people can have, just to name a few, are being able to see sounds — as well as hear them…”
well, you know how some radios have those games where they play a sound and you call in to guess? (where it’s something really random like…scraping a cookie with a credit card for example) Do these synesthesics know exactly what the sound is when it is played? or not? I mean, i htink it might make sense to but then again, i guess it might not be right.
so tell me if you know
brighteyes–thats not exactly what “seeing sounds” means. for example, when i hear a certain song, i’ll see the color green. that really annoying ringing you get in your ears when you’re tired is a really bright white. other people might see different shapes and patterns when they hear music or a certain sound, but im not that special. so thats what it means when someone says they “see a sound”
hope that helped!
Thats right… i do percieve sounds like colors and shapes, even textures, but most of them are really far of what really the sound source is (Example, french corn looks BLUE, but the real instrument is like golden or silver) I’ve never tried that radio games, but now ill try and tell you hehehe bright eyes.
Cool!
- KATE:
Thats pretty cool! So does spongebobs voice tastes like cherry-grape? Thats amazing!!! I sometimes can taste music, but not always, i dont know why. I think thats not so intense on me. But hearing the tastes, thats intense… everything i taste have a sound… i will pay attemption next time i eat cherry-grape, if i listen something like spongebobs voice
I just finished reading A Mango-Shaped Space…it WAS really good. As a book and as a way of learning more about synesthesia. I’m glad you guys mentioned it enough on here to get my curiousity! Thanks
The noises and shapes make a lot more sense now. And the acupuncture was really interesting. Have any of you ever done that? Tell us about it if you did!
Hello everybody
Well, here in my country doesn’t exist a translation of “a mango shaped space” (i live in mexico), but i’d really like to get it, don’t care its in english or not. Can you help me?
And about the acupuncture, bright eyes, i don’t know what you mean ’cause i haven’t read the book yet, but i can tell you something very interesting… Some days ago, i was under acupuncture sessions -for medical purposes- and i suddenly discover that my synaesthetical perceptions had become clearer, very more clear and sharped, more intense… im not sure about streightening, but something is sure, they were very clear. I really enjoy perceiving music that day. I strongly recommend it !!!
And any of you have ever do something of acupuncture? Tell us!!!
Web Nightingale…I got this from google. You can buy the book here.
http://www.amazon.com/Mango-Shaped-Space-Wendy-Mass/dp/0316523887
or
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=31212134&listingid=14375050&dcaid=17902
Just look online for different places to buy it.
Good Luck!
That’s amazing! I should try acupuncture, see what happens.
Thank you very much, Bright eyes! Ill try to get it as soon as possible.
And meezle, i’d like to know about your synnie’s perceptions after acupuncture! Thats pretty cool, lets see if they get stronger or what…
I have found that one cousin o’mine is also a synaesthete! (Of mother’s side.)
And also a very nice friend o’mine is synaesthete too!!! So, i can tell you: talking others about your synaesthesia is productive. go on do it and let us know if you find out another synnies.
By the way, can anyone of you tell me if its true that drinking cofee makes synaesthesia less-strong, but alcohol (a little hehe) increase the synaesthetical perceptions? I’ll try too, with measure course, but let me know if you discover something
yeah?
If Mr. Brendan nee wants to tell us something, good. Thanks 4 this synnie’s space
my numbers and some letters have personalities—anyone else have this? example–5 is really wild and spunky and kinda mean, but 4 is really really quiet and nice.
Hey! Definitively that’s synaesthesia, and i know other synnies who has that, personalities for numbers. Have you ever think about your number’s gender?
I mean, is for you 4 male, or female?
hehe Maybe they have, that’s synaesthesia too.
I’ve found a great synaesthesia forum, with amazing info about it, incredible questions and so much fun. Would you, all synaesthetes friends, like to go?
Tell me and i’ll put the link ok?:-D
See you!!!
yeah they do have genders, some more than others. the number 1 doesnt exactly have a gender, but i find it to be more female than male, if that makes any sense. 2 is male, 3 is male, 4 is female, 5 is male, 6 is male, 7 is male, 8 could go either way, 9 is male (and best friends with 4 and 7 lol), so on and so on, i could go on but it would take me a really long time
I and R are authoritative, commanding letters; E is expansive and free, H is self-protective, tough and distant and V protects others!
mine are kind of different–i is really quiet, r is a bit commanding i suppose, e is just kind of cranky and depressed most of the time, not so sure about h. some are more prominent than others.
I wish I had Synaesthesia. It’s so cool!
Another good book: Mondays are Red.
I was just looking up books about synesthesia on my library’s website and it came up with The Name of This Book is Secret, by Pseudonymous Bosch.
Anyone know if it is any good?
yes i read that book last year. i first learned about synesthesia from it but assumed it was made-up by the author. my dad found this site and mentioned it too me.
the book itself is not bad i guess. the context was a bit strange but it has a good plot. why dont you just read it and give it a try?
your A is red? aw, everyone has red As, mine is yellow… I wish I had more strongly coloured letters… I don’t even have a green one
A is definitely red. I get yellow for S. The letter I get green for is T.
yeah i agree a is red. but s is definitely not yellow!! it’s totally see-through, like glass. if anything, o is yellow, and t is black or dark blue.
I really want to read that book but it’s not at my library.
Maybe I can find it at Barnes and Noble or something.
i have that “gift” too i had it ever since i was little around four or five and i have the fear of telling people sometimes people tend to make fun of you but hey you learn to live with it.
Yeah, sometimes could be hard to talk about synaesthesia with others… Specially because it’s also hard to explain, all the colors and shapes, etc.
But the coolest is when you find out another synnies.
Check this please, im sure you’re gonna love it if you give it one chance:
http://www.mixsig.net/nexus/index.php
A little question: How do you see your names? Mine one is blue, cerulean blue, and last name: white, because the S.
And do you see weeks, months and years in a determinated color or shape? Synnie too
Both my first and last name are brown.
Months are all the same color as their starting letter, except Oct which gets some color from the “C”.
Jan = Blue
Feb = Green
Mar = Purple
Apr = Red
May = Purple
Jun = Blue
Jul = Blue
Aug = Red
Sep = Blue
Oct = Orangish-Gray
Nov = Brown
Dec = Brown
days of the week mostly take on the color of their first letter, but Sat and Sun get some brown, perhaps from the “day” part of the word. Saturday is too fun to be blue, so its reddish for me.
Monday = Purple
Tuesday = Green
Wednesday = Blue
Thursday = Green
Friday = Green
Saturday = Reddish-brown
Sunday = Blueish-brown
what does the name carrie look like to you synesthetes?
I get a pinkish guava colour for Carrie. I get the same colours for January, April, June, July and October that Brendan does.
carrie is crimson red with a tiny hint of white because of the “i”. i see the word in the color of its vowels, which i find kinda cool since a lot of people say they get the word’s color from its first letter…is it weird that i see it this way?
Hi! Well, that’s not weird at all meezle, it’s completely normal (for synaesthetes, i mean lol ) In my case, i percieve the names of people with their personalities’ colors, i mean, if you are a green person, (hahaha) your name will get the same color… it’s kind a mix between grapheme syn, personality syn and i don’t know what… So, every synnie percieves the world in a different way.
Carrie… Beautiful white with a little pale yellow, like new ivory and a little orange in the left.
Curiousity: How many of you see January in blue?
Or what about pesonalities and its colors?
ok well i dont know if i have this condition or not? because i only see the letters and numbers and months and days as colors in my mind only and i aggree with meezle i can “see sond” too
Hello!
Synaesthesia includes ’seeing’ the colors out of your head AND ’see’ them Inside your mind, like looking with your ‘mind eyes’…
So if you percieve the colors in your mind, could certainly be valid synaesthesia…
Are those colors always the same for you? And is that an involunctary response to letters, sound and months?
I just found this website today but it all seems so cool! A is SOOO not red!!! it could be yellow but i think its more of a baby blue…i also see carrie as white, yellow and specks of green. i only see colors. no personalities. I have read a mango shaped space a long time ago and then again recently. it was AWSOME. everyone should totally read it!!
i agree with lawrence. the S is yellow
hello ….i am chinese,and i can see different colours in chinese character .
just like :天——light blue
蔬——dark green
好——orange/light yellow
sorry for my poor english. …
WOW! That is great, éšå¤´ !
I’m glad to meet someone from so far away like you! Don’t worry, your english is good.
Do you feel like your chinese characters have personality?
Welcome
one is called ã€simplified character】 like é±¼ã€å‘
another is ã€traditional form】 like éšã€ï¼ˆç™¼ã€é«®)————these wrew used in old books.
the first characteréš/é±¼ in Chinese means [fish]，which I think is cyan.He is a boy.
although 發/é«®=å‘
in simplified character å‘means [send out][hair][discover][make a fortune]…so I think å‘ have many colours: yellow/dark blue/green/…
發only means [make a fortune]—-it has only one colour :green. He is a boy.
é«®only means [hair]——-I think it’s rose red.She is a girl.
one Chinese character(simplified character) always has too many different means,so when I see them……
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…..they are colorful of various colours.I have some difficult in reading…I can’t read ã€through】an article which has too(?Am I right) many words
.I always skip skip skip…finding the key words(the beautiful words),and guess the general idea.
do english letters have color for you or just chineese characters?
Hi.
I see numbers, names, and letters in colors. Not everything has a color, but almost. I did not even know there was something called synesthesia, until yesterday when i talked to one of my friends about it, and they told me to “google” it.
Take forexample my name it’s yellow, the number 3 is green(kinda dark green) 5 is blue, the name Tina is purple and so on. I see it in my head kinda (:
Hope to hear from some of you (maby we see the same colors hehe)
Elisa
both～～
Yes!!!
Elisa is yellow, and the number 5 is blue!!!
i agree that 5 is blue. 3 is also green for me
I was looking at this person’s site about their synesthesia, and one of the types this
“Not sure how to categorise this last one, but words, writing, has an effect on me, so poetry, for example, fits into the sound category, even though it technically doesn’t have a sound, I’m reading it in my head, so I’m ‘hearing’ sort of, what it would sound like if it did, because I experience what I would hear, if I did hear it. If you’re synaesthetic, you get that. If you aren’t, I know, it sounds bizarre!”
Does that mean that they hear what they’re reading in their “mind’s ear?” I do that. I’m so confused.
I am actually sorry to say I do not also have this condition “synesthesia”. Particularly alphabetical. But, this is an extremely interesting thing that happens. I am of a wholly sound mind that there is something more to the words that we speak. Tests were performed at one point that indicates our spoken language, any language, has an effect on the energy around us – see works of Masuro Emoto. I am interested to know if any of you would be willing to let me know what colors your alphabet is – I see bits and pieces, but the whole alphabet? Also words that imply emotion. What color is “love” “hate” “prayer” “care”? and your name. I’m sure you will find more intersting correlations with each other as well… thank you anybody that replies!
It’s so fun to read all the comments~
All my numbers and letters have colors, and in sixth grade I started learning chinese and those have colors too.
When I start to think more about it I feel sorry for those without synesthesia. ):
They don’t get the pretty colors~
Oh yeah lol & when I read I skip over all the words I don’t like the colors of. When I read stories it’s fine cause I see like a movie sort of in my head about what’s going on but it makes it really hard to read textbooks pfft.
Heeya
I was recently diagnosed with syn.
I have;
Graphemes – colors
Musical sounds – colors
Flavors – colors
Personalities – colors
Emotion – flavor
Pain – flavor
Every since ive had it diagnosed everything has made so much more sense.
As a little child i would often cry when my parents played anything by david bowie and i realise now it was probably becuse I find david Bowie has a creepy black misty colour.
Hi!
First, I don’t think you guys have conditions… have you ever thought maybe you do have extra senses? This doesnt mean you’re crazy at all, and nothing to be ashamed of.
What I am wondering is this… do you know of any web sites or groups that are aiming to ask people what their perceptions are, so we can see if there is at least a general agreement of colors?? From the above comments, it seems that many people do have similar perceptions, though some vary, and like any new skill or sense, I believe that there are varying levels of accuracy between different people. But if you could work together to maybe see how many others agree with your colors, maybe you can “re-look” at your colors, double-check, and see if there is in fact consensus? Also, you should look into the color associations of the chakras and such to see if this helps or is the same… I am very curious!
Can anyone tell me any websites that have lists of color translations for everyday words, numbers, letters, feelings, concepts, emotions and objects, etc? Or even if it is just alphabetical lists… if not, someone should start one! Let’s see if these perceptions are mutual! Or if they are individual..
My letters and numbers have personalitys. I know this is synesthesia but I did not tell anybody yet….
Ay advice??
Aslo, I have a alphabet, but when I read, I do not see the colors on a the page.
And I just know this stuff, I do not complain if my 6 is with my 2 or anything.
Is this really synesthesia????
And does anybody know how to make a alphabet??
yeah thats totally synesthesia!
i know exactly what you mean–my letters and numbers have personalities, and i also dont see the colors on the page, its just in my minds eye. 
what are the different personalities your numbers/letters have?
Ok, I’m not a synnie at all, but as I read the comments, I’m starting to think….well, lemme give you an example.
When Jamie asked what color hate, prayer, care, and love are, I thought about how to me, hate would be red, orange, and yellow (like fire), prayer is like a holy white color with maybe a little purple or blue (reminding me of a dove). Love is reddish and pinkish (like hearts), care…maybe blue.
But what I’m trying to say is that I think the average non-synesthesic person can relate certain words with certain colors based on, well, things that are related to the word. Definately not as much as a synnie would, but just somewhat. Otherwise, I dunno.
I’m not sure how to explain it really, but if this makes sense, do you have an answer?
Haha, yes I’m commenting twice in a row.
Web, you said that “Synaesthesia includes ’seeing’ the colors out of your head AND ’see’ them Inside your mind, like looking with your ‘mind eyes.’”
What if you only picture it in your mind? I mean, this text is clearly black to me so I know I’m just ‘normal.’ But going back to my last comment, when I see the word January in my mind, it triggers the thought of snow so I see it kind of as a blue with snowflakes. And December, due to the snow again, is the same. Valentine’s Day is in February so that determine’s the colors for me. March has St. Patrick’s day…etc.
Hmmm…
I get brown for hate, white for care, dark blue for prayer and red for love. I think I get colours for them through intuition or through a psychic sense. Dark blue is quite a devotional colour. I agree with bright eyes that January has blue in it but I see as an orangey-brown – probably because I get the colour orange for the letter D!