A simple question about the closest time to midnight invited a mass online debate. Meant for kids originally, it turned into a brain teaser for many curious people.
A Reddit user in Jamaica posted this question in June 2023 along with four times: 11:55 a.m., 12:06 a.m., 11:50 a.m., and 12:03 a.m. Although it seemed easy, there was no clear winner at first.
A lot of people picked 12:03 a.m. because it’s three minutes after midnight, making it feel closest in time after midnight passes. But some suggested 11:55 a.m., as it comes five minutes before midnight later the same day.
12:06 a.m. was also considered, but it’s a bit farther out, and 11:50 a.m. was mostly left out because it’s not close enough.
AI assistants like ChatGPT also answered 12:03 a.m., saying the question asks for the time right after midnight. Despite that, the discussion went on, proving how language can be tricky.
Each choice has its logic depending on your view of time—either before or after midnight. This puzzle reminds us that even simple questions can have multiple answers based on perspective.
