Why LLMs Fail at Counting Letters in 'Strawberry'
The author explains that counting letters, like guessing jelly beans in a jar, requires step-by-step enumeration, and the minimal attention-based program needs two indices—hence LLMs' famous 'strawberry' failures.
2026-09-10 ~ 2026-09-10 · 2 related posts
- Why LLMs miscount the r's in strawberry: counting demands step-by-step enumeration — ctjlewis · 2026-09-10
- Why counting breaks LLMs: the minimal attention program needs two indices — ctjlewis · 2026-09-10