50 Hilariously Cringe Posts Of Unshakable Confidence Gone Awry (Best Of All Time)
Interview With ExpertFake it till you make it! Whether you’re terrified to ask out your crush or you’re worried about finally taking the practical exam to get your driver’s license, you’ll feel much better once you finally have the courage to go through with it. Pretending to exude confidence might also be the perfect way to land your dream job or trick yourself into riding a rollercoaster. But there’s a time and place for being extremely sure of yourself, and the internet will not be very forgiving if you’re overly confident and incorrect…
Below, you’ll find some of the best posts of all time from the Confidently Incorrect subreddit. This community, which has 1.1 million members, is dedicated to calling out people who should really check their facts before posting online. So enjoy scrolling through these screenshots, and keep reading to find a conversation with communication expert Dr. Michael Gerharz!
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Brb, Going To Dye My Hair Rainbow Colors So People Like This Will Be Repelled
Well Maybe That’s Her Favorite Kind Of Yogurt
Princes vs. Princess. Plurals Are Difficult For Some
We’ve all been there. You swear that one actor is in that film- no, you’re not mixing them up with someone else! Or you know for a fact that this song came out in 1997, not a year earlier or later. But sometimes, we’re just wrong! Everybody makes mistakes, and as embarrassing as it may be to have to own up to them, it’s even worse to dig your heels in and get called out online.
That’s where the Confidently Incorrect subreddit comes in. If you respectfully try to correct someone, and you’re actually right, you don’t need to worry about ending up here. But if you’re incredibly smug and simultaneously wrong, well, you might end up learning the hard way that you should be careful what you post online.
Let’s See Those Snarky Atheists Answer That
Imagine Assuming People Erase Their Own Culture By Themselves
“You Should Speak English”
To find out why people are so inclined to believe that they’re correct, even when they’re not, we reached out to communication expert and author Dr. Michael Gerharz. He was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and break down why confidence is so important.
“Confidence is the duct tape of communication — it can patch over a lot of holes, at least temporarily,” Dr. Gerharz shared. “Speak boldly enough, and people might just overlook the fact that you’ve built your house on sand.”
Hiv And Covid Are The Same...right ?
Is it actually against the rules to do that, though?
Yea, No They Haven’t
There's No "I" In Happiness
The sentiment behind this is also BS. You're not going to be happy if you never put yourself first, if you are always putting others first. Not prioritizing yourself gets you burnt out, disappointed, overlooked, and stressed. We need to stop romanticizing the idea of giving selflessly all the time. That's a recipe for misery, not happiness.
So why do we become overconfident even when we’re wrong? “Because it works – at least in the short term,” the communication expert says. “Confidently stated nonsense can sound convincing, and it often leaves others too uncertain to challenge it.”
“Plus, when we project certainty, it’s easier to convince ourselves that we’re right, even when we’re not,” Dr. Gerharz explained. “You could call it a psychological safety blanket: ‘If I sound confident, no one will notice I might be wrong—even me.’"
"As the saying goes: ‘A bold assertion beats weak evidence.’ It’s a quick fix for uncertainty that creates the illusion of truth,” he added.
How Dumb Can You Get
Redditor Thinks Atheists Are The Obnoxious Ones
Smart Enough To Lead... Smart Enough To Breed?!?!
This is the weirdest false equivalency I've ever seen. It makes my brain hurt analyzing this. Greta isn't guiding anything. She's an advocate and a protestor trying to save the world. She's famous but she has no political power. Epstein was a disgusting POS who abused undergage women for fun and profit. This isn't apples to oranges, it's apples to used tires.
Clearly, the people featured on this list didn’t do a great job of correcting others. But is there a polite and respectful way to do so?
“Correcting someone is a delicate art, like defusing a bomb,” Dr. Gerharz says. “If you’re too blunt, it blows up; too cautious, and it still blows up. The trick is to snip the ego wire first. Keep the conversation focused on the idea, not the person. For example, saying ‘That’s wrong’ can feel like a personal attack.”
Flag Code? In My America?!
"I demand you do it the way I half-understand it to be, not the way it actually is".
''for The Last Time'', He Proclaimed
But We've Been To The Moon
Also saying that the UK uses the metric system is an oversimplification. We do use it mostly, but then we travel miles to avoid it sometimes.
Instead of immediately telling someone they’re wrong, Dr. Gerharz recommends instead trying, “That’s interesting—I’ve always heard it differently. What do you think about this perspective?”
“Questions like these gently nudge toward the truth. They invite a conversation instead of launching a debate,” he explained. “Also, remember: nobody likes a know-it-all, especially one who doesn’t. If you’re swooping in to correct someone, make sure you’ve done your homework. Otherwise, you might end up as the next feature on the subreddit.”
My God
Hercules Doesn't Know What The Word Boycott Means
Steve was our babysitter when my kids were growing up. You did good, Steve!
Økay
And if you realize that you’re made a mistake, Dr. Gerharz suggests simply taking accountability. “We’ve all been there: halfway through a passionate argument, only to realize we’ve been confidently—and gloriously—wrong. The best approach? Own it. Fast,” he told Bored Panda.
“Something like: ‘Wow, I totally goofed there. Let me set the record straight.’ This not only clears the air but shows you value getting it right over saving face,” the expert explained. “Bonus: it also makes you more relatable. People trust those who admit their flaws more than those who act flawless.”
Mistakes Were Made
America Didn’t Import Slaves
Just Wow
“Think of it this way: correcting yourself is like rebooting your reputation. It might be a little awkward in the moment, but it keeps the whole system running smoothly in the long term,” Dr. Gerharz added. “Mistakes are inevitable, but doubling down on them? That’s optional.”
Explain This
Even if it was the correct "indians" how does the existence of rich people disprove poverty?
Hmm... Yes. That Sounds Right. Zeus, Mr Horny Year Round, Has Only One Son
the whole greet mythology is basically Zeus not keeping it in his pants
Correcting An "Author"
“The next time you’re tempted to speak confidently without really knowing, ask yourself: ‘Am I trying to be right, or am I focused on getting it right?’ One feeds the ego; the other feeds the truth,” Dr. Gerharz noted. “And only one of those is going to keep you out of the Confidently Incorrect subreddit.”
What Kind Of A Monster Writes Their Memoir In The First Person?
"No way I can do this". Why, are you illiterate? Innumerate? Or just lazy?
On How To Be Cool, And Not A Fool
To be honest, the original post feels like a prime example of baiting or intentionally using Cunningham's law ( stating a wrong statement to get a correct answer quickly). I'm not sure why he'd want that, but it doesn't seem to be genuine ignorance
Confidently Corrected An Author
We hope you’re enjoying your scroll through these facepalm-worthy pics, pandas! Keep upvoting the ones that you find particularly hilarious, and let us know in the comments below what the most ridiculous “confidently incorrect” thing you’ve ever heard someone say was. Then, if you’d like to check out even more screenshots like this, you can find Bored Panda’s last article featuring this group right here!
And He Mixed Up Black Bear vs. Brown Bear Behavior
For the BP women, mansplaining is defined as the explanation of something by a man, typically to a woman, in a manner regarded as condescending or patronising.
Did you intentionally write explaining instead of mansplaining and therefore mansplained mansplaining wrong? This is getting too meta for me...
Load More Replies...What he said is true for black bears in general. What the EXPERT said is true for the case she was talking about which was a momma bear with cubs. Almost *any* female animal will attack you to defend their cubs (there are a few exceptions, mainly animals that have multiple litters a year and can afford to lose the offspring in order to preserve their own life)
If a black bear starts coming for me, my knowledge of her maternal status will have no effect on my actions - or my bowels.
Load More Replies...Best to avoid bears, but James Blackley is correct. There have been a total of 86 lethal black bear attacks in 240 years of American history, about 1 every three years. Of those, the "clear majority" were after the bear was attacked. You're 200 times more likely to be attacked and killed by a dog than by a bear. The normal behavior is to charge as a threat, but not to attack. And the person who wrote the caption is the one that mixed up black bears vs brown bears (some populations of which are known as grizzly bears).
Yeah I've unintentionally gotten in between a black bear and her cub, didn't realize they were there, it rolled down a hill in front of me, mom turned around and booked it out of there and I just froze until the cub finally waddled off after her
Load More Replies...Third Hole?! Surely You Jest!
Basic Math
Many years ago, I took a training class in which we had to solve a maths problem. Everyone - including the trainer! - got the wrong answer because they did the equation left to right without following the order of operations. When I explained why it doesn't work that way and explained the order of operations, one of the other participants tried to claim they didn't have the order of operations when they were in school.
Oscar The Grouch
Hunting Vegies
Well, if we think about languages other than English, the matter is no longer so clear-cut. The best example is the Japanese term キノコ狩り (kinoko kari) whose translation is literally mushroom hunting. I also wouldn't say in Finnish that I go to collect mushrooms, but it has its own word that contains the word mushroom, sienestys. You can also say that you are going to a berry forest, marjametsälle or a game forest, riistametsälle. The word hunting is completely missing even though both are about it. the Finnish term metsästys contains the word forest and does not really explain what is being hunted there in the forest. Stones, plants, berries or people. who knows.
Glenn Beck Is Bad At History
Does he not understand what the word "amend" means? They included a whole process for amending the document, thus allowing it to evolve over time.
Yeah, Who Is This Stephen King Guy Anyway?
Incorrect On Multiple Levels
Does he refuse to believe she's female, on the basis that he's not?
When Americans Think English Is The Only Language
When You Can't Tell Antennas And Solar Panels Apart
Do The Basic Math, People!
So someone born in 1999 is now, checks excel spreadsheet, 123 years old..
I-
Who Controls The Control Group?
"I do not understand science or it's methods, but I have a strong opinion on it".
Who’s Gonna Tell Her?
Still My Most Favorite One Yet
That is scientific proof, but they will still deny it and tell you that God created the Earth as "mature" and "fully-formed," just as Adam was created as a full-grown adult from dust. Trust me, there's no actual, real proof you can give these people that they won't have some answer for.
Happy 8 Month Old Birthday!
Did ivanka seriously post this? Has she inherited her father's intelligence?
*your
Uh, No
What’s The Welsh Word For ‘Overconfident’?
What about a language that is fairly widely spoken in its country of origin makes it dead?
I'm Counting Three Things Wrong With This
Sadly, this will be the American education system under Trump.
Someone Doesn’t Understand How The Food Supply Chain Works... Or Agriculture, For That Matter
Here in Germany, I remember a discussion about whether agriculture is an essential part of ecomony, because it only makes up about 1% of our gross domestic product. Like people actually seem to think that we could just stop doing agriculture and only lose some money. Imagine a country that has to import 100% of food from others.
To Argue The Point
Communism Is When You Are Only Allowed To Buy One Share Of A Stock
It's becoming harder and harder to distinguish between genuine stupidity and satire.
Came here to say that. I know Three Year letterman is a joke/satire account and they were featured twice on the list.
Load More Replies...So now normally I'd say come on guys stop bashing Americans but then I remembered the latest election results.
And older people wonder why younger people are not having kids. :(
Load More Replies...you saw the recent election results in the states, right?
Load More Replies...Seems as though we need more teachers and many people need to go back to school!
My conservative friends told me about this site. They are right that it is hilarious. It's my new favorite site.
It's becoming harder and harder to distinguish between genuine stupidity and satire.
Came here to say that. I know Three Year letterman is a joke/satire account and they were featured twice on the list.
Load More Replies...So now normally I'd say come on guys stop bashing Americans but then I remembered the latest election results.
And older people wonder why younger people are not having kids. :(
Load More Replies...you saw the recent election results in the states, right?
Load More Replies...Seems as though we need more teachers and many people need to go back to school!
My conservative friends told me about this site. They are right that it is hilarious. It's my new favorite site.