“Is This Real Water?”: 45 Of The Dumbest Things People Have Ever Been Asked

There is no shame in not knowing things, if you are willing to learn. Even just asking the right questions is a great start. However, it’s pretty important to note that for every “right” question, there are some semi-incomprehensible and downright dumb “wrong” questions.

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-can you stay overtime?-am I getting paid extra?-you are already getting paid a salary-I get paid for 40 hours a week.-do it for the company-what does the company do for me?-it gives you a job-I work for money. It’s business. The company keeps me because it’s profitable for the company.Never work for free, kids.

“Is This Real Water?": 45 Of The Dumbest Things People Have Ever Been Asked

Client called at 8am, livid, and said “You guys are a terrible company that can’t even build a calendar app right, I tried to make a booking for 30 February and couldn’t even find it. Tell me how do I make a booking for 30 Feb if it only displays till 29 Feb?”

Woman in a green sweater sits at a cafe table, smiling and holding a pen, contemplating Canadian language questions.

Her: Whats the longest 5k you ever ran?Me: 5kHer: I thought there were longer ones?Me: Yeah, 8k, 10k, half marathon, etcHer: so the longest 5k you ever ran was a half marathon?Me: what the f**k is happening.

Two people sitting by a fire pit under string lights, surrounded by trees, enjoying a Canadian evening outdoors.

Was living in my spouses deceased grandparents house. Had a phone call:Caller: may I speak to Mr. deceased?Me: uhh no I’m sorry he passed away.Caller: may I speak to Mrs. diseased then?Me: she died recently too.Caller: Well then when you you expect them back.Me: Hopefully no time soon!!

Man in denim casually multitasking on phone and laptop, pondering over Canadian questions, seated on a colorful couch.

I am quite tall in comparison to the average height of where I live.A coworker: “Don’t you think you are being a bit inconsiderate, being so tall?“I still don’t know what they were trying to say.

A person in a modern setting holding a coffee cup, blending style and comfort in a casual outfit, embodying Canadian style.

_as I help my 94 year old granddad set up his walker next to the car, my 81 year old grandma and her two crutches_Whyyyyy are you parked in the disabled spot?It’s for the nice views, a*****e.

Blue handicapped parking sign on a wooden wall captures the essence of Canadian.

Person: “I can’t move to England, I don’t even know what language they speak!“Me: “English… England… English…“Person: “Are you sure?”.

“Is This Real Water?": 45 Of The Dumbest Things People Have Ever Been Asked

Was the IT admin for a small company at the time. The power went out, as happens occasionally. The secretary rang my phone and asked me if the phones were working. She did not say she was testing to see, but asked if they were working. over. the. phone.

A man in a black cap, concentrating with a phone to his ear, embodying questions about “Do You Speak Canadian?"

“Can you take off your glasses?““Yes… I can?” Takes them off“I never knew you can take glasses off”

Person holding glasses, contemplating a question about speaking Canadian.

I was talking to someone and mentioned that I had visited Japan the previous year.“Oh, is that where Japanese people come from?“I was taken aback for like 3 seconds before I stammered out a yeah.

Nighttime street scene with umbrellas and neon signs, showcasing vibrant urban culture.

“Is This Real Water?": 45 Of The Dumbest Things People Have Ever Been Asked

I live in the Netherlands, and my mother is from Hong Kong. I had to do my dutch presentation about the protests happening right now, and my teacher asked a lot of questions that weren’t talked about in the presentation itself. But of course I could answer them all, and even correct her a few times. My classmates later asked why I know so much about the subject, and so I told them that my mother is from HK. They then proceeded to ask me “why is your mother from Hong Kong”.. I was so confused, and asked what they meant, and they just repeated the question…

“Is This Real Water?": 45 Of The Dumbest Things People Have Ever Been Asked

Working in a bar with an upstairs and downstairs, one of the new waiting staff at the end of the night during clean up asked me if she should sweep the dirt up or down the stairs. I said up the stairs and left her to it.

Trendy Canadian bar with modern furniture, checkered floor, and stocked shelves, creating a cozy atmosphere.

“What are eggs made of?”. Not like chemical make up, but if they had flour in them. Cause of the whites. If they had butter in them. Cause of the yolk. This kid (23 y/o) was a box of bricks.

“Is This Real Water?": 45 Of The Dumbest Things People Have Ever Been Asked

I was the one asking the stupid question. When I was like 12 I was at a taco food truck at the county fair and my options were either a shrimp or chicken taco. I meant to ask ”is there a difference in price” because the fair always gets ya and instead I only said “what’s the difference?”The lady said “Well one’s shrimp and one’s chicken.”And I felt stupid.

Crispy taco with fresh toppings on branded paper, highlighting cultural curiosity in Canadian dining.

trying to move one of those big, multi purpose weight machines, and they noticed it’s set to its heaviest setting“Why don’t we set it to its lightest setting so it’ll be lighter?“To their credit, they realized about ten seconds later why that was a dumb question.

A weight plate on a gym machine barbell, emphasizing fitness equipment.

I am a woman with a twin brother. I can’t tell you how many people have asked me if we are identical twins…

“Is This Real Water?": 45 Of The Dumbest Things People Have Ever Been Asked

A: where can in find a security guard?Me: Security is located in the pavilion over there. They can be reached 24 hours a day.A: What if I need them at night?

A security guard in uniform, holding a flashlight, standing in front of a building at night.

Everyday. Every single day at work.Answer work phone “Dave speaking” “Hi can i speak to Dave please?”.

Person on the phone looking tired, questioning if they “speak Canadian."

Customer buying a bottle of water at a coffee shop: “Is this real water?”.

Close-up image of a glass bottle with condensation bubbles, highlighting unique Canadian design features.

My mom asked me if Florida is in California. We’re Canadian and she’s been to both states.

Hand holding a Florida-shaped sticker, featuring palm trees, the sun, and a dolphin design.

“Is This Real Water?": 45 Of The Dumbest Things People Have Ever Been Asked

Barista in holiday-themed cafe, surrounded by festive decor, preparing orders.

I used to work in retail when I was 16.I was cashiering when a woman came up and gave me a coupon for 20% off the total purchase. When I told her the total she seemed displeased and asked me, “did it take 20% each item or the entire total?” And I had to desperately explain to her that it’s the exact same thing.

Cashier scanning groceries at checkout, holding yellow bell peppers, in a supermarket setting.

“What did people in apartments do before stairs were invented?““Is kingdom come a place in China?“Same person.

“Is This Real Water?": 45 Of The Dumbest Things People Have Ever Been Asked

“Where do you find the calorie info on shampoo? I can’t find it.”.

Green Maui Moisture shampoo bottle held in hand; bamboo fibers for weak, brittle hair.

Two women having a conversation on a couch, smiling in a cozy living room.

I went to a high school that was majority white, and one day in class a girl asked me.. “So.. do black people.. like.. have black blood?”I didn’t even have the energy to respond to the stupidity.

“Is This Real Water?": 45 Of The Dumbest Things People Have Ever Been Asked

When someone asked me where I’m from and I said “Venezuela” their response was “what part of Africa that in?”.

Woman in a green dress on city street, glancing back with a questioning expression, illustrating Canadian curiosity.

I was born on an AirForce base. I remember in school one day we were doing one of those about you things that the teachers always assign on the first day and I put the base I was born on in the spot that asks where you’re born. We then share it to the class (6th grade) and some kid dead serious asked me “so if you were born on an AirForce base were you born on the runway or something?"The base had a hospital and my dad was active duty when I was born that’s why I was born there.

Vintage Canadian plane parked on a sunny airfield, propellers visible against a clear sky.

“Is okay to swim with a dead dog in the pool?"-Phone call I took while working at a pool store.And no. No, it is not okay to swimming with a dead dog in the pool.

Swimming pool ladder leading into clear blue water, showing the rippling surface.

We have twins. So many people asked us if we were trying for twins.

“Is This Real Water?": 45 Of The Dumbest Things People Have Ever Been Asked

Having dinner in the dining hall at University.A friend asks me ‘How big is a star? Could one fit in this room?‘I quietly let her know that one would probably not fit in the room…

Worked at a living history museum and we always had a smoky fire burning to help create ~atmosphere~One lady asked me, “Is that a real fire?” After years of working with the public, it took all I had not to reply, “Touch it and see.”.

A guy I used to work with asked me whether French and Italian were the same language. I appreciate that he was making an attempt to learn, at least.

A smiling woman in a classroom, wearing a blue blazer, with educational decor and a chalkboard in the background.

I got a call from someone trying to use a web application I wrote. This application had been live for a year without problems, not it wasn’t accepting this person’s email address. After talking through what they were entering, including making sure they were putting “@aol.com” in their AOL email address, I started to crack open the code thinking that there was some weird edge case that they had triggered. That’s when they asked: “Do I need to put my email address in the field that says ‘email address’?“Yes, they were putting their email address in a different field and wondering why it wasn’t working.