Bandwagon Fallacy: Claiming something is true or right because many people believe it.
Example: "Of course it’s fine to wait until the last minute to write your paper. Everybody does it!"

Ad Hominem: Attacking the person instead of addressing their argument.
Example: "Katherine is a bad choice for mayor because she didn’t grow up in this town."

Appeal to Emotion: Using emotional manipulation instead of logical reasoning.
Example: "I know I should have been on time for the interview, but I woke up late and felt really bad about it, then the stress of being late made it hard to concentrate on driving here."

Straw Man: Misrepresenting an opponent’s argument to make it easier to attack.
Example: "Erin thinks we need to stop using all plastics, right now, to save the planet from climate change." (The original claim was likely more nuanced.)

Circular Argument: Using the conclusion as a premise.
Example: "Peppers are the easiest vegetable to grow because I think peppers are the easiest vegetable to grow."

Appeal to Ignorance: Claiming something is true because it hasn’t been proven false.
Example: "There must be fairies living in our attic because nobody’s ever proven that there aren’t fairies living in our attic."

Sunk Cost Fallacy: Continuing a course of action due to past investment.
Example: "I’m not enjoying this book, but I bought it, so I have to finish reading it."

False Cause (Causal Fallacy): Assuming a cause-and-effect relationship without evidence.
Example: "When ice cream sales are up, so are shark attacks. Therefore, buying ice cream increases your risk of being bitten by a shark."

Red Herring: Introducing an irrelevant topic to divert attention.
Example: "The level of mercury in seafood may be unsafe, but what will fishers do to support their families?"

Equivocation: Using a word with multiple meanings in a misleading way.
Example: "Some philosophers argue that all acts are selfish. Even if you strive to serve others, you are still acting selfishly because your act is just to satisfy your desire to serve others."

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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › List_of_fallacies
List of fallacies - Wikipedia
2 weeks ago - Vacuous truth – a claim that is technically true but meaningless, in the form no A in B has C, when there is no A in B. For example, claiming that no mobile phones in the room are on when there are no mobile phones in the room. Cognitive distortion – Exaggerated or irrational thought pattern ...
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/fallacy › examples of some common fallacies
r/fallacy on Reddit: Examples of some common fallacies
July 29, 2022 - Ironically the other robot have to do the very thing it told the robot who is pictured to commit the fallacy, of doing in Begging the Claim. "Prove it". Of course, it doesn't mean it is 100% relevant, and sometimes it can be impossible to prove something at hand even if it is logically correct. The other robot have to explain why is it irrelevant, and the explanation have to be logical, otherwise that is just denying points that is against the other robot's. The Ad Hominem example here is not Ad Hominem either.
Discussions

Real life fallacy examples
Trump. Speeches, posts, interviews, he puts them out in droves. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/fallacy
5
2
March 7, 2024
ELI5: All the common "logical fallacies" that you see people referring to on Reddit.

There are loads. But some common ones:

  • Ad hominem To attack the person not the argument: "We should increase taxes", "Don't listen to him, he only showers once a week".

I've been getting a lot of replies about this one. An ad hominem only occurs if you ignore the argument and attack the person to undermine the argument. "It's hot outside, let's all go for ice-cream." "That's a bad idea. I'm diabetic, you moron" is not ad hominem. It's not a very nice response, but he still counters the argument with a reason. "Men are more likely to drink-drive, so all men should be banned from driving." "You're a massive idiot." still isn't really ad hominem; he is attacking the person, but it is more like an insult than a counter argument. "Board games are the root of all evil. If we ban them then crime will go down." "You are clearly uneducated and a fool, so this cannot be true." is an ad hominem fallacy. And now I've probably made everything more confusing.

  • Circular Reasoning Where the reason relies on the conclusion being true. "God exists because the Bible says so; Bible is true since it's the word of God".

  • Slippery slope The assumption that accepting one thing will lead to increasing undesirable other things. "If we let the immigrants in then they will take our jobs, leaving us homeless and then our children will be forced to work as prostitutes for food. Is that what you want? Child prostitutes?"

  • False Dilemma Forcing or suggesting there are only two possible options in a situation, where really there are many. "Steve insulted my mother, so I had to either punch him or be forever known as a wuss"

  • Tu quoque Literally you too (I think). Basically saying that if you don't do it, why should I? "My doctor told me to lose weight, but what does he know? He's fatter than me!"

  • Appeal to Authority Where a statement by an irrelevant authoritative figure or group is used. "Dr Steve says the vaccine causes cancer, so that vaccine must be banned." "Tiger Woods says this 10 bladed razor is way better than a 3 bladed one. The 7 extra blades therefore clearly make a difference."

  • Appeal to Popularity Where if a sizeable group of people belief in something, the belief must be correct. "300,000 Indians eat rice every day, therefore it must be healthy."

  • Appeal to Ignorance Where you assume something is true because it hasn't been proven false. Your standard "I don't know, therefore aliens".

  • Loaded Question Asking a question that presumes a certain fact. "What's your opinion on the immigrants that are ruining our society?" assumes immigrants are ruining our society, and by answering it directly you agree with this statement.

  • Straw Man Misrepresent the argument to make it easier to knock down. "We should give free fruit to school kids", "Yeah, let's just give everyone free food. That would just lead to obesity and a greater deficit".

  • Post Hoc (ergo propter hoc) Claiming that because something happens after something else, the first caused the second. "I wore my green socks today, and then found out my wife was leaving me. I didn't know she hated them that badly."

  • Gamblers' Fallacy Believing that a deviation in a series of (independent) chance events will soon be met by a deviation the opposite way. "I've given birth to six boys. My next kid is definitely a girl!"

  • Middle Ground Saying that a compromise between two extreme position is the correct one, solely because it is in the middle. "Schools are being forced to teach both creationism and the theory of evolution. The truth must be somewhere in between; they should teach the theory of creatioevolutionism."

  • Appeal to Emotion Relying on manipulating emotions rather than a solid argument. "Look at this poor little dog. Look at it! He looks so miserable and depressed. We should take him home and look after him." or "Meth. Not even once."

  • "Fallacy" Fallacy The fallacy you might use after reading this list. An argument contains a fallacy, therefore the conclusion is wrong. "The Meth. Not even once. campaign is just one massive appeal to emotion fallacy. Therefore there is no reason to stop doing meth."

I've probably forgotten a few.

Examples are meant to be exaggerated. In real life they are often more subtle, and the names aren't important as long as you recognise that there's something wrong.

Edit: Adding more fallacies that others have mentioned for a more complete list.

Edit: Added Middle Ground, fixed some grammar errors, formatting.

More on reddit.com
🌐 r/explainlikeimfive
653
1137
November 12, 2010
Help finding real life examples of logical fallacies?
My favourite is the 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' witch trial scene , how many fallacies can you spot? More on reddit.com
🌐 r/askphilosophy
18
15
September 16, 2020
10 logical fallacies

Finally, the proper use of "begs the question". My spirit is calmed.

More on reddit.com
🌐 r/coolguides
231
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People also ask

What is a logical fallacy?
A logical fallacy is an argument that can be disproven through reasoning.
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grammarly.com
grammarly.com › blog › rhetorical-devices › logical-fallacies
What Is a Logical Fallacy? 15 Common Logical Fallacies | Grammarly
Is appeal to ignorance a logical fallacy?
An appeal to ignorance (ignorance here meaning lack of evidence) is a type of informal logical fallacy. · It asserts that something must be true because it hasn’t been proven false—or that something must be false because it has not yet been proven true. · For example, “unicorns exist because there is no evidence that they don’t.” The appeal to ignorance is also called the burden of proof fallacy.
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scribbr.com
scribbr.com › home › logical fallacies | definition, types, list & examples
Logical Fallacies | Definition, Types, List & Examples
Is ad hominem a logical fallacy?
An ad hominem (Latin for “to the person”) is a type of informal logical fallacy. Instead of arguing against a person’s position, an ad hominem argument attacks the person’s character or actions in an effort to discredit them. · This rhetorical strategy is fallacious because a person’s character, motive, education, or other personal trait is logically irrelevant to whether their argument is true or false. · Name-calling is common in ad hominem fallacy (e.g., “environmental activists are ineffective because they’re all lazy tree-huggers”).
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scribbr.com
scribbr.com › home › logical fallacies | definition, types, list & examples
Logical Fallacies | Definition, Types, List & Examples
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Purdue OWL
owl.purdue.edu › owl › general_writing › academic_writing › logic_in_argumentative_writing › fallacies.html
Fallacies - Purdue OWL® - Purdue University
In this example, the author assumes that if one event chronologically follows another the first event must have caused the second. But the illness could have been caused by the burrito the night before, a flu bug that had been working on the body for days, or a chemical spill across campus. There is no reason, without more evidence, to assume the water caused the person to be sick. Genetic Fallacy: This conclusion is based on an argument that the origins of a person, idea, institute, or theory determine its character, nature, or worth.
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Grammarly
grammarly.com › blog › rhetorical-devices › logical-fallacies
What Is a Logical Fallacy? 15 Common Logical Fallacies | Grammarly
April 10, 2023 - Example: Peppers are the easiest vegetable to grow because I think peppers are the easiest vegetable to grow. With the sunk cost fallacy, the arguer justifies their decision to continue a specific course of action by the amount of time or money ...
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Tutors.com
tutors.com › articles › logical fallacies
Logical Fallacies — Definition, Types, & Examples
February 13, 2024 - An ad hominem fallacy (argumentum ad hominem in Latin) occurs when someone attacks the source of an argument rather than the argument itself.
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California State University, Northridge
csun.edu › ~dgw61315 › fallacies.html
Logical Fallacies and the Art of Debate
The most important guideline for committing such fallacies yourself is to know when you are doing it, and to be prepared to justify yourself later if the opposition tries to call you down for it. For examples of logical fallacies that can sometimes be acceptable in the context of debate, see ad ignorantiam, ad logicam, complex question, slippery slope, straw man, and tu quoque in the list below.
Find elsewhere
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Your Logical Fallacy Is
yourlogicalfallacyis.com
Thou shalt not commit logical fallacies
Logical fallacies are like tricks or illusions of thought, and they're often very sneakily used by politicians and the media to fool people. Don't be fooled! This website has been designed to help you identify and call out dodgy logic wherever it may raise its ugly, incoherent head. Rollover the icons above and click for examples...
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Merriam-Webster
merriam-webster.com › dictionary › fallacy
FALLACY Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
2 weeks ago - —Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 7 Feb. 2026 The volume fallacy is a common storytelling blind spot, where leaders confuse speaking frequently with actually being heard by their audiences. —Harrison Monarth, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fallacy
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Scribbr
scribbr.com › home › logical fallacies | definition, types, list & examples
Logical Fallacies | Definition, Types, List & Examples
October 9, 2023 - Logical fallacy exampleA student group suggests that “useless courses like English 101 should be dropped from the curriculum.” Without explaining why English 101 is useless in their view, the members of the group then immediately move on, ...
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KidsKonnect
kidskonnect.com › home › worksheets › english language arts › literary devices › fallacy examples and worksheets
Fallacy Examples, Definition and Worksheets | KidsKonnect
June 17, 2021 - Ad hominem is when the arguer attacks the speaker personally rather than counter the opponent’s argument. Appeals to emotion are just as they sound. In these fallacious arguments, the arguer tries to prove their argument by making the audience feel something rather than convincing them through logic. The following statements are examples of fallacious statements:
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Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
iep.utm.edu › fallacy
Fallacies | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Multiple names of fallacies are often grouped together under a common name intended to bring out how the specific fallacies are similar. Here are three examples. (1) Fallacies of relevance include fallacies that occur due to reliance on an irrelevant reason. There are different kinds of these ...
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HKU Philosophy
philosophy.hku.hk › think › fallacy › list.php
[F06] List of fallacies
Of course, if we have evidence showing that P is the only or most likely condition that leads to Q, then we can infer that P is likely to be true without committing a fallacy. In arguing for a claim, the claim itself is already assumed in the premise. Example: "God exists because this is what the Bible says, and the Bible is reliable because it is the word of God."
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Indeed
indeed.com › career-advice › career-development › logical-fallacies-examples
15 Common Logical Fallacies Examples | Indeed.com
December 11, 2025 - We also changed the font on our website last week. This leads me to believe that our new font is the reason we got more website views."Related: The Parts of an Argument (With Definition and Examples) This fallacy is based on the idea that if many people agree on the same point, it must be true.
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Teachers Pay Teachers
teacherspayteachers.com › browse › free
Fallacy Examples | TPT
Students create an advertisement for a product, service, or politician using at least four logical fallacies. Great for an end-of-year project! New: student ... examples of this device in literature and encourages them to delve into the emotional and symbolic meanings behind the author's use of such language.
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Helpful Professor
helpfulprofessor.com › home › 23 false analogy examples
23 False Analogy Examples (2025)
August 20, 2023 - In this scenario, Anne draws an analogy between a fork and a spoon in order to justify the fact that she passed Todd a fork instead of a spoon. The comparison being made here is a fork is similar to a spoon, for example, they are both cutlery ...
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Quality Philosophers
pesec.no › 24-most-common-logical-fallacies
24 most common logical fallacies
January 27, 2025 - It is entirely possible to make a claim that is false yet argue with logical coherency for that claim, just as it is possible to make a claim that is true and justify it with various fallacies and poor arguments. Example: Recognising that Amanda had committed a fallacy in arguing that we should eat healthy food because a nutritionist said it was popular, Alyse said we should therefore eat bacon double cheeseburgers every day.
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Grammarly
grammarly.com › blog › rhetorical-devices › causal-fallacy
What Is the Causal Fallacy? Definition and Examples | Grammarly
November 3, 2022 - You’ve probably heard the phrase “correlation does not imply causation.” When somebody says this, they’re acknowledging this type of causal fallacy and consciously choosing to avoid it. A correlation is a statistical relationship or connection between two things. When somebody says “correlation doesn’t imply causation,” they’re saying that just because two things appear to be related due to timing, it doesn’t mean either thing is actually influencing the other. A famous example of this is the correlation between shark attacks and ice-cream sales.
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Fallacydetective
fallacydetective.com › articles › read › short-list-of-fallacies
Fallacy Detective
If smoking marijuana is legal for cancer patients, then it should be legal for everyone.” EXAMPLE 2: Fact - murder is a capital offense, but… “if it is acceptable to kill in self-defense, it should be acceptable to kill people because they wronged me in some way.”” · ~~~ Kids ...
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The Writing Center
writingcenter.unc.edu › home › tips & tools › fallacies
Fallacies – The Writing Center
December 29, 2011 - This fallacy gets its name from the Latin phrase “post hoc, ergo propter hoc,” which translates as “after this, therefore because of this.” · Definition: Assuming that because B comes after A, A caused B. Of course, sometimes one event really does cause another one that comes later—for example, if I register for a class, and my name later appears on the roll, it’s true that the first event caused the one that came later.