Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.85 in modern English

Syllables
if al-l y-ou have is a ham-mer, ev-ery-thing look-s -like a -nail
IPA
82
Scrabble Score
45
Letters
9
Syllables
17
Unique Chars

Meaning

proverb

With limited tools, single-minded people apply them inappropriately or indiscriminately.

proverb

Individuals deeply versed in a particular subject or proficient in the use of a specific tool may display confirmation bias, viewing it as relevant to all situations.

Etymology

Likely traditional. In this form, perhaps from Abraham Maslow, The Psychology of Science, 1966, page 15 and his earlier book Abraham H. Maslow (1962), Toward a Psychology of Being: : I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail. Similar concept by Abraham Kaplan, The Conduct of Inquiry: Methodology for Behavioral Science, 1964, page 28: : I call it the law of the instrument, and it may be formulated as follows: Give a small boy a hammer, and he will find that everything he encounters needs pounding. Labeled "Baruch's Observation" (after Bernard Baruch) in The Complete Murphy's Law: A Definitive Collection (1991) by Arthur Bloch. Also often attributed, without citation, to Mark Twain (for example in Jonathan Haidt, The Righteous Mind, page 9).

Phrases

Einstellung effect Maslow's hammer there's more than one way to skin a cat

Frequently Paired Words

Einstellung effect Maslow's hammer there's more than one way to skin a cat

Synonyms

if your only tool is a hammer, then every problem looks like a nail when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail

Questions

What does if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail mean?
With limited tools, single-minded people apply them inappropriately or indiscriminately.
Where does if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail come from?
Likely traditional. In this form, perhaps from Abraham Maslow, The Psychology of Science, 1966, page 15 and his earlier book Abraham H. Maslow (1962), Toward a Psychology of Being: : I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail. Similar concept by Abraham Kaplan, The Conduct of Inquiry: Methodology for Behavioral Science, 1964, page 28: : I call it the law of the instrument, and it may be formulated as follows: Give a small boy a hammer, and he will find that everything he encounters needs pounding. Labeled "Baruch's Observation" (after Bernard Baruch) in The Complete Murphy's Law: A Definitive Collection (1991) by Arthur Bloch. Also often attributed, without citation, to Mark Twain (for example in Jonathan Haidt, The Righteous Mind, page 9).

How to pronounce if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.