In a remarkable tale of language and neurological quirks, Michal Sklar has turned what she describes as a “useless superpower” into a source of fascination for many. The 32-year-old social media marketer possesses the unique ability to spontaneously speak, read, and write words backwards, a skill that manifests itself with ease for familiar words of up to four syllables. This extraordinary capability emerged following a grand mal seizure she experienced just before her 17th birthday and has since been a defining trait in her life.
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In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Sklar explained how words she knows intimately appear to her in reverse without any conscious effort. “The backwards version just comes to me,” she stated, revealing that for most everyday words and phrases, the process is nearly instantaneous. It was during her hospital stay after the seizure that she became aware of this unusual talent while unintentionally processing the dialogue of medical staff in reverse.
Sklar has since evolved her ability into various forms of communication, sharing videos on TikTok that demonstrate her unique skill set. One of her posts, where she recounted the story of her backwards speech, resonated with millions, amassing over 4.1 million views. Her playful approach to the subject, including a tongue-in-cheek remark about preparing for a Netflix documentary, has endeared her to a growing audience online.
However, there are limitations to Sklar’s remarkable talent. Words beyond four syllables present significant challenges, often requiring her to carefully deconstruct them mentally. Frequently, curious individuals pose the same question, asking if she can reverse the famously long word “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” Sklar is quick to clarify, “No, I cannot,” highlighting the confines of her skill.
The intricacies of her ability also extend to the structure of sentences. Sklar does not merely reverse the sounds of entire sentences; instead, she flips each word individually while maintaining the original order. For instance, the phrase “Hi, I’m Michal, and I speak backwards” transforms into “iH, m’I lahciM, dna I kaeps sdrawkcab.” This distinction has led some critics to downplay her talent by suggesting that reversing the audio of her speech would yield a more traditional sentence, a dismissal that Sklar counters with a simple, “Sorry, I didn’t exactly get to choose how my backwards processing decided to work.”
Reflecting on her experience after the seizure, Sklar recalls the unsettling moments she faced as her mind began to operate in unexpected ways. Sometimes, she would wake up with a favourite song playing in reverse, an alarming occurrence for a teenager grappling with the ramifications of a severe medical event. “I had never experienced my mind doing something that felt out of my control,” she noted. Yet, over time, she managed to gain a degree of mastery over her skill, turning what was initially disorienting into a routine part of her daily interactions.
Sklar’s uniqueness caught the attention of researchers in the field of linguistics. In 2017, Dr. Dianne Newbury from Oxford Brookes University reached out to Sklar to participate in a study focused on individuals with similar abilities. The following year, she collaborated with Dr. Hayley Moutford, engaging in various cognitive exercises and puzzles designed to explore the nuances of backwards speaking.
While Sklar’s talent remains a captivating aspect of her identity, she admits that it seldom comes into play in her daily life, primarily because few people would comprehend her reversed speech. Nevertheless, feedback from her recent TikTok foray has reinforced her awareness of how extraordinary her skill is to others. Her online presence has sparked renewed interest in her ability and reminded her of its uniqueness.
Sklar also holds out hope for a communal experience with her fellow backwards speakers. She dreams of one day organising a dinner party where they can enjoy each other’s company and test the limits of their shared linguistic quirk. “It’s still a dream of mine that all of the backwards speakers involved in this study will have a dinner party together one day and see whether we can understand each other’s backwards ‘dialects,’” she mused, eagerly anticipating the day when reality can meet the dream of a gathering filled with words in reverse.
In a world where linguistic talents may be seen as trivial, Michal Sklar’s ability to articulate words backwards serves as a reminder of the vast complexities of the human brain and the unique experiences that come with it. Her journey from confusion to clarity demonstrates a profound adaptability and transforms what might seem like a trivial skill into an inspiring testament to the strange and wonderful intricacies of our minds.