ChatGPT just announced it can finally pass the simple how many rs in strawberry test, but users are still tripping it up by switching to cranberry

Date:
Wed, 29 Apr 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Description:
The ChatGPTapp X account just announced that ChatGPT can pass two famous Ai stumbling blocks, however reality seem to object.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter ChatGPT passes strawberry test but fails when switched to cranberry AI still struggles with simple letter-counting despite broader improvements Reasoning tests like car wash still expose gaps in AI logic There are a number of viral posts from people astonished that chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude can solve complex equations but struggle with something as simple as counting the number of rs in the
word strawberry. Well, those days could finally be over.

With the words "At long last", the official ChatGPTapp X account proudly announced today that it can now count the number of rs in strawberry a laughably easy task for humans that has traditionally been difficult for AIs to get right. at long last pic.twitter.com/pu9wyAY6sN April 28, 2026 However, users very quickly found that you could still trip it up by swapping out strawberry for cranberry. Article continues below You may like The 5 prompts that reveal lingering 'cringe' in ChatGPT 5.3 ChatGPT can threaten to key
your car and get abusive with certain prompts OpenAI introduces new ChatGPT 5.3 Instant to reduce the cringe for users

Not so fast, said X user @NathanEspinoza_ in response to ChatGPTapps
boastful post about solving the strawberry problem, as he posted an image showing ChatGPT had responded saying that there was only one "r" in "cranberry".

To corroborate the result, I quickly tried the same thing with my version of ChatGPT on GPT-5.5, and I was told there were two "r"s a different result, but still wrong. It passed the strawberry test perfectly, saying there were three rs, but then claimed there were only two in cranberry. To its credit, ChatGPT did admit its mistake when I questioned it, putting it down to a simple counting error. Why the strawberry problem exists There are a few very simple questions that chatbots are notoriously bad at answering, one of which is how many rs are in strawberry?

This is a straightforward counting task for humans, but its surprisingly difficult for AI systems. The reason comes down to how they process language. Large language models (LLMs) are built on transformers, which convert words like strawberry into numerical representations. Those representations capture meaning and context, but they dont inherently preserve a clear sense of the individual letters that make up the word. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

The fact that ChatGPT is still stumbling over cranberry suggests the solution may have been hard-coded for specific cases, rather than reflecting a broader improvement in how the LLM handles these kinds of questions. The car wash problem The second boast in ChatGPTapps post is that ChatGPT can now solve
the car wash problem. This exploits a context gap in how LLMs reason, by asking whether it would be quicker to walk to a car wash or drive if its only 50 meters away. Most models will tell you its quicker to walk, missing the obvious issue that you need your car with you to wash it.

ChatGPTapp claims that ChatGPT will now catch this error and point it out.
But when I tried it using the latest GPT-5.5 model, it still recommended walking as did Claude using Sonnet 4.6. When I tested it in Gemini, however, it pointed out that while walking would be quicker, youd need to bring the
car with you if the goal was to wash it.

Grok did even better. Not only did it flag the issue of not bringing the car, but it added that this question has become a popular test for whether someone (or an AI) grasps the actual goal versus giving generic walking is healthier/shorter/greener advice that ignores the context.

So, for now at least, thats a win for Gemini and Grok. But if fixing strawberry doesnt fix cranberry, it raises a bigger question are these
models actually getting smarter, or just getting better at passing the tests we keep throwing at them? Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. The best business laptops for all budgets Our top picks, based on real-world testing and comparisons

Read our full guide to the best business laptops 1. Best overall: Dell 14 Premium 2. Best on a budget: Acer Aspire 5 3. Best MacBook: Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4)



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/ai-platforms-assistants/chatgpt-just-announced-it-ca n-finally-pass-the-simple-how-many-rs-in-strawberry-test-but-users-are-still-t ripping-it-up-by-switching-to-cranberry


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)