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Every person is special in their own way as we all thrive in various and different activities. Some of us are great with creative assignments, some are better at finding answers to questions through applying logic. There are a lot of ways one can show their intelligence. Having this in mind, Reddit user @Gisgiii asked people online to share what kind of “subtle signs” they noticed that allow them to understand that the person they are talking to is extremely smart. The question that received almost 56k upvotes gave people a green light to share their opinions and observations. 

A lot of users found that being able to ask good questions, being curious about various things, and taking into account that you can’t know it all is what makes people smart. It was said that intelligent people are always open to a discussion. This is what helps them to find out more about various things that they perhaps never heard of as well as challenge them to broaden their views. Do you agree with this? Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments down below!

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#1

People Online Break Down 25 Subtle Signs That Someone Is Actually Really Intelligent They aren’t afraid to say they don’t know the answer to a question.

xchernx , Jinx! Report

Final score:
215points
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Alice By Heart
Alice By Heart
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've always hated people who are unwilling to admit that they don't know something, like you come across less intelligent getting it wrong then not knowing

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#2

People Online Break Down 25 Subtle Signs That Someone Is Actually Really Intelligent They can genuinely consider an idea which opposes their worldview without necessarily accepting it.

paidshill29 , UNclimatechange Report

Final score:
214points
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Chef Latte
Chef Latte
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I hate that I need to start doing this, but it is such a good thing that I am forcing myself to try thinking things in this way.

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#3

People Online Break Down 25 Subtle Signs That Someone Is Actually Really Intelligent They are curious about everything.

To be intelligent you need to be knowledgeable and you cant be knowledgeable if you are never curious.

soup54461 , Eugene Kim Report

Final score:
193points
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Mary Rose Kent
Mary Rose Kent
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I was a child, we had a set of Encyclopedia Brittanica, and I loved sitting in the window seat and just opening to something random to learn about. It was great. If you want your children to be readers, be sure to have a wide range of books around the house, and consider investing in a set of encyclopedias. I know they become dated, but they’re also a great curiosity builder and answerer at the same time.

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#4

People Online Break Down 25 Subtle Signs That Someone Is Actually Really Intelligent They can switch up the way they talk to match the person they're talking to without sounding condescending. They listen to how others learn and explain it in that person's language of understanding

Wynonna99 , Nate Grigg Report

Final score:
181points
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Otter
Otter
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Enough highly intelligent people can't do that, that I don't think this belongs on the list.

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#5

People Online Break Down 25 Subtle Signs That Someone Is Actually Really Intelligent They admit to changing their mind about something

FarAwayAdventure , Kennisland Report

Final score:
164points
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#6

People Online Break Down 25 Subtle Signs That Someone Is Actually Really Intelligent I think intelligent people are more willing to calmly debate/discuss, rather than argue. Like, you explain to them why you disagree, and they listen to you and ask further questions about your viewpoint before offering a different perspective; as opposed to an unintelligent person, who would just resort to insults when other people disagree with them.

AngelicCinnamonBun , Erich Ferdinand Report

Final score:
159points
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#7

People Online Break Down 25 Subtle Signs That Someone Is Actually Really Intelligent When they explain something they make you feel intelligent.

gwoshmi , Alan Levine Report

Final score:
156points
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#8

People Online Break Down 25 Subtle Signs That Someone Is Actually Really Intelligent People who use analogies to explain concepts to others. It’s a form of code-switching and integrating concepts on the fly is a clear indicator someone is both socially and conceptually intelligent.

Edit: As many have pointed out, not all analogies are helpful or make sense to others. So a useful analogy that creates an “ah-ha!” moment for someone is a wonderful thing. An analogy is an association; a mental process of connecting an idea or thing to a relatable image for someone who can then “see” and digest the initial representation.

Not using analogies doesn’t mean someone can’t be intelligent. And “Social Intelligence” doesn’t mean social ease and charisma, it means an awareness that one”s own understanding and experience often has to be translated in ways that others can relate to.

SwimmerAutomatic2488 , Oregon State University Report

Final score:
126points
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Mary Rose Kent
Mary Rose Kent
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If someone says something you don’t understand but wish you did, ask for an analogy—they’re so helpful!

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#9

People Online Break Down 25 Subtle Signs That Someone Is Actually Really Intelligent Admitting when they're wrong and being willing to learn from mistakes.

siyl1979 , Tom Brogan Report

Final score:
121points
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#10

People Online Break Down 25 Subtle Signs That Someone Is Actually Really Intelligent Explaining something complex in simple terms. Knowledge is so vast that they can talk about in the easiest way for someone else to understand.

FoeDogX , Alan Levine Report

Final score:
120points
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Thorfin Wolfsbane
Thorfin Wolfsbane
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was told as a professional, that if I couldn't explain something to a layman, I don't really understand it myself.

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#11

People Online Break Down 25 Subtle Signs That Someone Is Actually Really Intelligent They apply knowledge from one realm into a new and relevant situation.

For instance one person described a situation (might have been on Reddit) where they were a new assistant in an academic research lab and fixed a snag that stumped all the senior researchers including the professor. The team was trying to video record their project using a strobe light and their footage wasn't working as planned.

When no one else made progress at diagnosing or solving the problem, the most junior individual spoke up and suggested that the strobe could be out of phase. They remembered that video typically records at a rate of 24 frames a minute second [thanks for the correction], and explained that along with suggesting a change to the strobe's flash rate so it would coincide with the recording.

This worked. And it really raised up that individual's reputation within the group.

Inwardly they were almost embarrassed about the source of this knowledge. They had a gaming hobby back in high school, and had taken some video footage of that, and discovered the standard frame rate while playing around in editing software.

But they remembered that detail years later and realized it made a difference in a completely different context.

That is intelligence.

doublestitch , Sarah Laval Report

Final score:
117points
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Sky Render
Sky Render
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's amazing how many problems are caused by tertiary issues! I recall there was once a time when a computer system was unable to send e-mails out to physical locations further than a certain radius from the server. Someone noticed that the distance corresponded perfectly with the speed of light relative to the data transfer rate, and discovered that the issue was a flag had been set to deny all e-mails on the server. Anything sent fast enough to reach its destination before that check happened would still go through.

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#12

People Online Break Down 25 Subtle Signs That Someone Is Actually Really Intelligent They're logical, and they find out more information rather than believing something right away.

Garaquarubyline , English106 Report

Final score:
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Kanuli
Kanuli
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There are different aspects of intellect though. You can be a genius in various fields. Logic doesn’t necessarily need to be part of that.

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#13

People Online Break Down 25 Subtle Signs That Someone Is Actually Really Intelligent There is also this lovely thing I like to call intelligence by association. I am a prime example of this. My small rural town seems to think I'm a genius simply because I can read at a level above your average fourth grader, when in fact I'm a high functioning moron.

Rkclown , Jorge Franganillo Report

Final score:
100points
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#14

People Online Break Down 25 Subtle Signs That Someone Is Actually Really Intelligent They say they love learning and they learn something new every day. Then they listen more than talk.

throwingplaydoh , Sytyke ry Report

Final score:
94points
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GlipGlop
GlipGlop
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Brain sponging, I call it. It's fascinating to look at every situation as an opportunity to learn!

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#15

People Online Break Down 25 Subtle Signs That Someone Is Actually Really Intelligent They know when their knowledge ends and say something to the extent of "i don't know and anything else i say on this topic is ignorant speculation"

blutoboy , Oregon Department of Transportatio Report

Final score:
84points
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El muerto
El muerto
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

ignorant speculation is the bedrock of science fiction and fantasy...is fun to do and sometimes it can even be the leap of faith that solve a question

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#16

People Online Break Down 25 Subtle Signs That Someone Is Actually Really Intelligent Humor. I think that truly funny people are often very smart and cognizant of the different ways an idea can be humorous on several levels. They also know their audience. I think the difference between say a Jeff Foxworthy and a Dave Chappell and a Bo Burnham is their audience and their interests.

biscuitboi967 , osseous Report

Final score:
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Vicky Z
Vicky Z
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It is also proved that sarcasm is a sign of intelligence

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#17

People Online Break Down 25 Subtle Signs That Someone Is Actually Really Intelligent They don't brag about it.

Cherry_Axolotl , Bobo Boom Report

Final score:
81points
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sofacushionfort
sofacushionfort
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Southern USA wisdom: “It’s OK to be smarter than other folks. It’s NOT OK to make sure they know it.”

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#18

People Online Break Down 25 Subtle Signs That Someone Is Actually Really Intelligent You can honestly just tell by their "vibes".

The way they compose themselves, talk, write, think, explain, etc.

What I find the most interesting is that intelligent people, in my experience, are more likely to be less cold/fact-driven and more theoretical and creative.

For example, if an intelligent person were to read a certain stat, fact, idea, etc, they are likely to have very interesting theoretical extrapolations.

My friend qualified for the Mensa membership, and whenever we talk, his mindset always strays towards very interesting outlooks. He has certain ideas that I would never have even thought about.

It's actually very fun to talk to intelligent people. The way they are able to absorb information like a sponge and apply that information is very eye-opening.

wtf_even_is_reddit , Gage Skidmore Report

Final score:
76points
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#19

People Online Break Down 25 Subtle Signs That Someone Is Actually Really Intelligent They spend time thinking before asking a question.

ParkMan73 , Creative Ignition Report

Final score:
74points
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#20

People Online Break Down 25 Subtle Signs That Someone Is Actually Really Intelligent They can ask really good questions

Edit: to anyone not understanding what mean, I’m talking about people who ask “really good questions”, not just any questions, really good ones. I don’t know how one would achieve this skill(I know I haven’t).

milkmanbran , Chiara Coetzee Report

Final score:
69points
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Josiane Roy
Josiane Roy
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Like asking a question about something not readily apparent or usually associated with the topic in question.

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#21

People Online Break Down 25 Subtle Signs That Someone Is Actually Really Intelligent This is more of a hit or miss one, but in casual conversation they're good at puns/wordplay.

Making good puns, especially spontaneously, requires a high level of understanding in whatever language is being spoken. If they tell you a pre-constructed joke that has a punchline that is a pun (a pun-chline if you will) you can't really tell, because they could have had a lot of time to come up with it (like me for instance), or they could have memorized it from somewhere, but spontaneous puns generally mean they're processing your conversation multiple interpretations at once, in an intelligent way.

CourageKitten , Zara Vanwynsberghe Report

Final score:
65points
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Vicky Z
Vicky Z
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'll go cry cause my first attempt for a pun yesterday on this website was completely unsuccessful

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#22

People Online Break Down 25 Subtle Signs That Someone Is Actually Really Intelligent They draw wisdom from multiple sources. Wait but that might be more wise than intelligent... But I guess those two tend to be seen together a lot.

Puzzlehead-Engineer , Eduardo Merille Report

Final score:
64points
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Softball05
Softball05
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is so important! You want to read from all sides (and never just headlines). I'm working on this!

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#23

People Online Break Down 25 Subtle Signs That Someone Is Actually Really Intelligent They understand what you’re saying before you’re even done with your explanation.

macaronsforeveryone , Alan Levine Report

Final score:
56points
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Sky Render
Sky Render
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

On the flipside, it's quite annoying when someone keeps explaining when you understood what they were trying to tell you by the end of the first sentence...

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#24

People Online Break Down 25 Subtle Signs That Someone Is Actually Really Intelligent Intuition

jdubf13 , kimdokhac Report

Final score:
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Theoretical Empiricist
Theoretical Empiricist
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I read a good description of hunches, that I think applies to intuition as well: "A hunch is often a conclusion based on data you don't know you possess". Intelligent people may develop intuition more quickly as they are often more observant over time (Malcolm Gladwell wrote about this in his book "Blink: The Art of Thinking Without Thinking"). They also know the limits of their intuition.

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#25

People Online Break Down 25 Subtle Signs That Someone Is Actually Really Intelligent They can follow the plot of Kingdom Hearts without needing any line graphs or charts.

thats1evildude , kimberlyac Report

Final score:
11points
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Sky Render
Sky Render
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's not that complicated? I mean really, if you want "granite octopus" levels of impenetrable and all over the place, I can point you to a number of fantasy series that are way harder to follow...

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