Ambiguity facts for kids

This illusion is of a shifting image. Sometimes you see a rabbit, and sometimes you see a duck.

My wife and My Mother-in-Law: This is another famous image that can be seen in two ways.

All is Vanity by Charles Allan Gilbert: This painting shows a woman looking into a mirror. But it also creates the illusion of a human skull.

Ambiguity means that something is not clear. It can have more than one meaning. The word "ambi" comes from the Greek word for "two". So, ambiguity literally means "two different meanings."

When we see things happen, we try to understand what they mean. If we cannot decide what is going on, the event is ambiguous. This means it can be understood in different ways.

Words or sentences that are ambiguous can cause misunderstandings. People might get the wrong meaning. This can sometimes be serious, but it can also be funny. Jokes often use ambiguity to make people laugh.

What is Ambiguity?

Ambiguity happens when a word, phrase, or sentence can be understood in two or more ways. It makes you wonder which meaning is the correct one.

Examples of Ambiguity in Language

Let's look at some examples to understand this better.

The sentence "The peasants are revolting" is ambiguous. It could mean two different things:

• The peasants are standing in the streets. They are shouting "We want more pay!" Here, "revolting" is a verb. It means they are rebelling.
• The peasants are horrible or disgusting. Here, "revolting" is an adjective. It describes them.

The British comedian Ronnie Barker loved the English language. He said you can make many jokes using ambiguity. He gave this example:

A mother tells her little boy, "Johnny, go over the road and see how old Mrs Jones is." Johnny comes back and tells his mother, "Mrs Jones says it is none of my business."

The mother meant "old" in a friendly way. She meant "dear old Mrs Jones." But the sentence could also mean: find out Mrs Jones’s age. Johnny understood it this second way. This made the situation funny.

Unambiguous vs. Vague

The opposite of ambiguous is unambiguous. This means something is perfectly clear. It can only have one meaning.

Ambiguity is also different from vagueness. Vagueness means there is not enough detail given. A statement that is vague can mean almost anything. For example, saying "I'll be back later" is vague. It doesn't tell you when "later" is. Ambiguity, however, gives you specific, but multiple, meanings.

Images for kids

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  Sir John Tenniel's drawing of the Caterpillar. You can see its head as a human face or as a caterpillar's head.

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  Is the food wet, or is the cat wet? This sign is ambiguous!

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  This image can be seen in three ways: as the letters "K B", as the math problem "1 < 13", or as the letters "V D" with their mirror image.

See also

In Spanish: Ambigüedad para niños