Google AI cannot spell Google, it is not a joke
Google has one of the most powerful LLMs capable of writing code and research. But its AI Overviews in Search is currently having a hard time counting letters.
Google’s AI may be smart enough to write code, summarise the internet and answer complex questions. But ask it to spell “Google” correctly, and it may fail. No, we are not joking. The company’s AI Overviews feature is seemingly struggling with basic spelling and letter-counting questions.
Many users on social media platforms are highlighting how Google’s advanced AI is failing what looks like a basic spelling test. In one trial that we conducted ourselves, the AI confidently claimed there are two “p” letters in “Google” and two “t” letters in “Gemini”. The tool also incorrectly said the word “journalism” contains two “d” letters, despite spelling the word correctly in the same response.
The error of Google AI failing spelling test is going viral on the internet. Users are sharing screenshots across X and Reddit, mocking the mistakes and posting even more examples of Google’s AI failing at simple spelling tasks. Some users are even joking that Google’s AI can probably help write an app, but still cannot clear a kindergarten spelling test.
While the errors may sound funny, they are also raising serious questions about how reliable AI-generated Search results really are. After all, Search is still where millions of people go every day for quick and simple answers. And if AI cannot accurately count letters in a word, users are wondering what else it might be getting wrong.
Google has acknowledged the issue. In a statement shared with TechCrunch, the company said: “Counting within words has been a known challenge for LLMs, and we’re working to fix this particular issue.”
Notably, this is not the first time AI Overviews has landed Google in trouble. Soon after Google embedded the AI feature into Search, users discovered several bizarre responses. In some cases, the AI cited satirical content from The Onion as factual information. In others, it suggested users eat rocks or add glue to pizza recipes without properly filtering the responses for safety or accuracy.
Now, the spelling mistakes are once again fuelling criticism around AI Overviews. Many users argue that as Google pushes AI-generated summaries more aggressively in Search, useful website links are getting pushed further down the page. Many are also pointing out how for simple tasks like checking spellings, meanings or quick facts, the added AI layer often makes Search feel more cluttered and complicated instead of helpful. And now the mistakes are making it unreliable too.
For now, Google says it is working on fixing the problem.
Google’s AI may be smart enough to write code, summarise the internet and answer complex questions. But ask it to spell “Google” correctly, and it may fail. No, we are not joking. The company’s AI Overviews feature is seemingly struggling with basic spelling and letter-counting questions.
Many users on social media platforms are highlighting how Google’s advanced AI is failing what looks like a basic spelling test. In one trial that we conducted ourselves, the AI confidently claimed there are two “p” letters in “Google” and two “t” letters in “Gemini”. The tool also incorrectly said the word “journalism” contains two “d” letters, despite spelling the word correctly in the same response.
The error of Google AI failing spelling test is going viral on the internet. Users are sharing screenshots across X and Reddit, mocking the mistakes and posting even more examples of Google’s AI failing at simple spelling tasks. Some users are even joking that Google’s AI can probably help write an app, but still cannot clear a kindergarten spelling test.
While the errors may sound funny, they are also raising serious questions about how reliable AI-generated Search results really are. After all, Search is still where millions of people go every day for quick and simple answers. And if AI cannot accurately count letters in a word, users are wondering what else it might be getting wrong.
Google has acknowledged the issue. In a statement shared with TechCrunch, the company said: “Counting within words has been a known challenge for LLMs, and we’re working to fix this particular issue.”
Notably, this is not the first time AI Overviews has landed Google in trouble. Soon after Google embedded the AI feature into Search, users discovered several bizarre responses. In some cases, the AI cited satirical content from The Onion as factual information. In others, it suggested users eat rocks or add glue to pizza recipes without properly filtering the responses for safety or accuracy.
Now, the spelling mistakes are once again fuelling criticism around AI Overviews. Many users argue that as Google pushes AI-generated summaries more aggressively in Search, useful website links are getting pushed further down the page. Many are also pointing out how for simple tasks like checking spellings, meanings or quick facts, the added AI layer often makes Search feel more cluttered and complicated instead of helpful. And now the mistakes are making it unreliable too.
For now, Google says it is working on fixing the problem.
