Even a broken clock is right two times a day?? Huh?

If it’s broken the hands don’t move.

To there are two times a day that it is correct

When a traditional clock breaks, the minute and hour hands freeze in position. When the actual time matches the displayed time, then the clock would be correct. For example, if the clock breaks and stops at 7:15, then the clock will still be right when the time is 7:15 AM and 7:15 PM. Therefore, it will be right two times a day.

The phrase means that even if someone has no idea what they’re doing (or is completely wrong most of the time), they can still manage to be right on occasion.

This saying is intended to be a putdown. Here’s what they mean.

Let’s say you answer or do something correctly. Then, some nervy person comments, “Even a broken clock is right two times a day.” This other person is saying you got the right answer or did the right thing NOT because you knew the answer or knew what you were doing, it was simply a coincidence or you were lucky you were right.

A clock with the hands frozen in place shows the right time twice each day – as a matter of coincidence – when the actual time of day happens to coincide with the time shown on the frozen hands of the clock. In actuality, the clock is completely worthless. Someone who says this to you is also saying you are completely worthless just like the broken clock.

All the other answers correctly state the conventional wisdom. But, I’ve never agreed with this venerable and fun sophism, and the way you phrase your question seems to voice some healthy skepticism too.

A “clock” is not just an instrument with two or three hands and a face of numbers or markers signifying one through 12. A clock, to use one renowned dictionary’s definition, is “a device other than a watch for indicating or measuring time commonly by means of hands moving on a dial.”

A “broken clock”–it could be “watch” too, of course–is not “right” two times a day, anymore than a little child is right in this situation: Let’s say you have a one-year-old who has just picked up the word “five” and enjoys shouting it out–repeatedly, as so many toddlers like to do. Let’s also say, to humor the toddler, you ask her,

“How much is 1 + 1?”

“How much is 1 + 2?”

“How much is 2 + 1?”

“How much is 3 + 7?”

“How much is 7 + 3?” . . . and so on, using all possible combinations of 1 through 9.

Each time you ask a question, of course, the delighted child screams, “Five!”

As it turns out, there are 81 different ways to ask the question and “five” is the correct answer four times. Does this mean that the baby is “right” four times? Of course not.

This is just another way of looking at it, and, as I see it, the correct answer. But, actually, here’s the real question: Isn’t that kid going to tire out before you get through 81 questions?

Assuming both hands are still on the clock face, they will show a certain time. Let’s say the big hand is on the 12 and the little hand is on the 6… That’s six o’clock. However, since we have AM and PM time, the clock could be representing either 6 AM or 6 PM. During the course of one day, you will have both 6 AM and 6 PM. Therefore, the time on the clock face with match “real” time twice per day.

just think about it like this.. your clock is broken say the batteries are dead and the time that it is stuck on is 3 oclock. no matter the fact that the clock is dead at 3 am the clock will be right and at 3pm it will again be right. but as soon as it becomes 3:01 the clock is wrong again ….

At 3:32 a.m. and 3:32 p.m. each day the clock will be right. I can’t explain what the saying is trying to say though. I know what it means but its hard to try and explain it.

If the clock is stuck at 7:15 then it’ll be right twice a day because, eventually, 7:15a and 7:15p will come. And it means that… like eventually liars tell the truth and someone that’s often wrong is right.

In a 24 hour period there are 1,440 minutes, of those, two times the clock will match the actual time. So the probability is 1 in 720 that when you look at it the time will be correct.

at 3:32 in the morning and 3:32 in the afternoon, the clock will be right. I can’t tell if you are serious or not…..

It will be right when the correct time of the day matches what is shown on the clock: 3.32 AM and 3.32 PM. Real time moves on unhindered. It is not measured by what is shown on a clock. So, eventually the real time will match the clock, AM and PM.