“reported that the letter h could be a vowel, at least when it appeared in the word Northwest”
Our reading, the sentence that was checked:
In Marcus's test, ChatGPT reported that the letter h could be a vowel, at least in the word Northwest.
Assessment: Unresolved Evidence as of
Where and when Gary Marcus wrote it
Marcus on AI, ChatGPT in Shambles, paragraph 31.
- Said
- Source observed
- live page, full text, public
- Evidence as of
- the cutoff for this assessment
- Assessment recorded
- assessment marcus-chatgpt-in-shambles-5746f4-a2
We recorded 6 claims from this post. See every claim from this post.
The wording above is the version this site observed on 2026-10-28. The source may have been edited after 2025-02-04. This page does not claim the wording was captured then.
What the claim commits to
- Kind
- Observation
- Deadline, as the speaker wrote it
- None stated. This site does not add one.
- Deadline state when assessed
- No horizon
- Deadline state on 2026-10-29
- No horizon (the release’s reference date)
Conditions
- in a 10-minute test session (qualifier, stated by the speaker)
From the speaker
- ChatGPT
- reported that the letter h could be a vowel
- at least when it appeared in the word Northwest
Our interpretation
- Read as: in Marcus's session on or about 2025-02-04, ChatGPT's answer about vowels in 'Northwest Territories' listed or counted the letter h as a vowel.
Counts as supported if: The transcript shows ChatGPT naming or counting h as a vowel in 'Northwest' or 'Northwest Territories'.
Counts as contradicted if: The transcript shows no answer that treats h as a vowel.
Retrospective: these criteria were written after the outcome was public.
Current assessment
Was it true for the period described?
Outcome: Unresolved
The record was checked, and the evidence available by the cutoff does not settle it.
Scored on a plain reading. The speaker named no measure for this claim, so it was judged on the reading an informed reader would take, stated below under our interpretation. Both reviews had to find that reading fair.
- Evidence as of
- Deadline state when assessed
- No horizon
- Assessment recorded
- Policy version
- 2026-10-28.7
Rationale
The claim is about one answer in a session with the free version of ChatGPT on or about 4 February 2025. Marcus describes the session as lasting 10 minutes. Under the contract, the claim is supported if the shared transcript, or an independent check of it, shows ChatGPT naming or counting h as a vowel in "Northwest" or "Northwest Territories". The evidence includes neither the transcript nor such a check. A post by Benjamin Todd, available on 9 February 2025, says Marcus asked for a column of vowel counts for Canadian provinces (e1). It does not report what ChatGPT answered for Northwest Territories. The evidence therefore does not show whether that answer treated h as a vowel.
Limitations
- The shared transcript and the screenshots of the Northwest Territories answer were not found.
- e1 shows only that the vowel-counting task took place. It does not show the content of the answer.
- Without the answer, it cannot be determined whether ChatGPT explicitly called h a vowel or only counted it among the vowels.
Evidence (1 item)
Context only: Benjamin Todd (Substack),
He then made a list of Canadian provinces and asked for a column listing how many vowels were in each name.
Why it matters here: It confirms the vowel-counting task took place. It does not say what ChatGPT answered for Northwest Territories.
- Where
- paragraph 13
- Publisher
- Benjamin Todd (Substack)
- Kind of source
- Secondary summary
- Describes events of
- Public from
What would settle it
The chatgpt.com conversation shared in Marcus's post, or an independent check of it, showing ChatGPT's vowel breakdown for Northwest Territories.
Where it was said (1)
Said once in the sources this register covers.
: Marcus on AI, ChatGPT in Shambles
reported that the letter h could be a vowel, at least when it appeared in the word Northwest
- Where
- paragraph 31
- Published
- 2025-02-04
- Source observed
- , live page
- Access
- full text, public
History
Assessment versions
- Assessment marcus-chatgpt-in-shambles-5746f4-a2: Current. Outcome: Unresolved. Evidence as of 2026-10-28. Public date not recorded.
Recorded events
Assessment publishedBy this site
First assessment published after both reviews and the final-text check passed.