Synesthetes Speak for Themselves I just read this article (http://www.msnbc.com/news/726007.asp) after seeing a headline on msnbc's home page that caught my attention: "Man views words, numbers in color."  While I can't say that I see these colors with my eyes, this is how I've always perceived words and numbers and letters in my mind ever since I can remember.  When I've mentioned this to people in the past, they looked at me as if this was impossible.  I assumed they simply hadn't thought about the issue, and that they actually perceived the same phenomenon, but were unaware of it or were embarrassed.  I have expounded upon the subject at length with my friends, and every now and then they have fun pointing this out as one of my eccentricities.  I had come to believe that perhaps this was simply some manufactured idiosyncrasy that resulted from experiences unique to me.   Anyway, it was exhilirating to read this article -- so much of it described my experiences exactly (if it is of any interest, 0 is usally black for me, sometimes its clear, every now and then green, 1 is black, 2 is purplish, 3 is orangish - yellow, 4 blue, 5 is red, 6 is light green, 7 is a deep red, 8 is grass green, 9 is the same as the 6).  Details in the article such as the manner in which the colors are not simply random but apply consistently for each symbol were almost chilling.  One characteristic I experience that wasn't mentioned in the article is that small words usually appear to take the color of the first letter -- e.g. since "t" to me is a dark green, "two" looks mostly dark green. I was quite interested in the news article on your study of an individual who saw colors of words or letters when reading. I see colors and images in the "background" of the type, for example when reading the article on your study, I know the newspaper is white, and the type is black, but colors and images are always there, constantly in motion. I have learned to focus on the type, ignoring to some degree the images, but not completely. This has made reading difficult. After reading a story about it in Discover magazine last year, I realized that I have always had the most common manifestation - linkage of colors and numbers.  I also have a weaker linkage between colors and letters.  I thought everyone viewed the world this way. I read this morning the Associated Press article (Tribune/Tempe, Arizona) regarding W.O. and synesthesia.  I looked at my wife and said, "Hey, what do you know.  It has a name."  I don't see most letters or words in color when I read or look at the newspaper.  That would probably drive a person nuts.  But when I think of letters, at least upper case letters, and especially the first letters of a person's name, they are always in color. Not a lot of different colors. A, K, J are red; B, E are pale yellow; C, D are blue-grey; etc.  But they never change. I've always just assumed that when I was young, I must have seen some alphabet book that showed an "A" and an apple and both were red, or something like that.  It actually comes in handy from time to time. If I can't remember a person's name, most of the time I can recall the "color" of the person's name and narrow the choices (since the first letter predominates).  Albert, Brett and Charles all have striking different colors.  Well, thanks for the information. I now know that I have synesthesia. I was amazed when I read the article about your study at Vanderbilt University.  I thought my color associations with numbers, letters, words was just strange.  That is, after I found out everybody doesn't think that way.  I have never met another person who has this. I can still remember how difficult and confusing it was for me learning my multiplication tables because the colors kept getting in the way of my thinking clearly. The color associations were helpful when it came to spelling, though.   It was fascinating to read about synesthesia -- I thought I was alone in the universe with my weird associations.  I think I have pretty strong color-sound synesthesia; I find that it can be a good mnemonic device but also a real pain sometimes.  For instance: "Grand Central" is a very similar color to the number "32" (and orangish ochre), and "Penn Station" is a very similar color to the number "42" (a dark blue).  But in New York, Grand Central station is on 42nd Street and Penn Station on 34th.  I've gotten mixed up and gone to the other address at least three times. I have perfect pitch.  I can tell you what notes I am hearing by "sensing" what color they sound.  The note F, and songs in the key of F, sound like a reddish shade of rust.  The note A flat, and songs in the key of A flat, are navy blue.  B flat, however, is baby blue, etc.  All keys have a color, although some colors are so similar, it's hard for me to describe the difference, but I hear the difference.  As I hear music, I just get a sensation of a certain color.  It's as if I'm looking through glasses of that color.  When hearing music that changes pitches, chords, or keys rapidly, I see/hear each one go by just as quickly as the notes are played/sung.  I am an accomplished pianist, and feel that this ability to identify pitches has made it easier for me.  The local piano store owner is amazed every time I drop in.  He sits down at one piano and plays a little ditty he makes up for about 15 seconds, and I can play it right back to him from a piano across the room having not seen his hands at all.  I can also just stay about a second behind him, almost just playing right along to something I've never heard before.  When he plays huge chords or extremely dissonant classical-type section, I may not get every single note exactly right, but it's so close, most people could never hear the difference.  I do this by listening to the colors of the notes and playing the same color notes.  The tone "F#" is Orange. But the "Key" of "F#" is Red. The tone "B" is Suffering. It also tastes a bit like Horseradish. I see "7" as Red, but "Seven" as green. Oval shapes tend to be "pinkish", while Circle shapes are in the blue-green areas. Triangles are "spicy" and tend to be in the red-yellow orange area. Rectangles can go lots of ways depending on proportion. Squares are browns, sometimes purpley, and often sound like the tone "D". Cylinder shapes are muted, greys, beiges. How amazing!  Before reading your article on "Colored Worlds" I had simply accepted that I saw the world through different eyes than everyone else.  When I have admitted to people that I see a phone number in color, they look at me as if I'm crazy.  To me, 0123456789 is equal to saying black (0), white (1), brown (2), orangey/yellow (3), red (4), blue (5), green (6), yellow (7), orangey/brown (8), turquoisey green/blue (9).  I have always thought I must have subconsciously absorbed the colors along with the numbers from some pre-school class or other.  I had  no idea it had a name, synesthesia. Thanks for the article on synesthesia.  I have always (since preschool) seen numbers, letters, etc. in color.  I used to make computation mistakes because two of my numbers were the same color (6 and 8).  I was absolutely thrilled to read your article on seeing colors on words and numbers! When we were young, my sister and I could both see numbers and many words, such as the names of the days of the week, in color. Our parents and others around us thought this to be strange, and probably just the fanciful tales of young kids, but we both saw them very clearly (although differently). I also had a very distinct sense of the shape of the week (shaped like a tipped-over D with the days arranged counter-clockwise), and I still cannot think of the days of the year abstractly, I have to place them on the counter-clockwise circle that is the year for me. The months all still have different colors, typically inconsistent with what would seem natural based on the seasons: June is green, July red, August yellow, May black, January white, December green, April white, November black, etc. I've never been able to see the colors of words when printed, only when thinking about them, and it seems that I can only see the colors of words that are relatively simple, that I learned before reading them. I also only see vivid colors on words of my native Swedish -- English words are all a dark blue, almost black to me. Your research on synesthesia has provided me with great comfort and validation!   Today, in a school mass, our priest described how scientists are now exploring realms of self-awareness and he described how these mathematically and emotionally gifted children perceived colours with letters and numbers.  I just about fell over because I have had this all my life and thought I was alone.  I had to look this phenomenon up on the web and found the ABC news article.  This sense of acknowledgement and validation washed over me as I read the article.     I have had this perception, as well as many other types of intuition/pre-cognitive experiences.  Luckily, my family and friends are very open minded and never doubted my claims, but like you said in the ABC news article, it's like trying to describe colour to someone who cannot see colour.  I have always had this restlessness inside me that I was somehow different but could never quite crystalize what it was.  Now I know - synesthesia!   This "gift" has come in handy in many ways (remembering miscellaneous info and helping my spelling - might explain why I never spelled a word wrong on any post-tests for my entire grade three year).  Also why spelling mistakes on my students' work stand out so clearly (Thank God I don't teach English!).  I know the colours and my other "perceptions" are a gift but it was not until today that I could identify it!  Thank you so much for your study.  It's like a blind has been lifted and I now know it is not so strange.  What other behaviour patterns or gifts are associated with synesthesia?