> To find out the most confusing emojis in 2024, we at Preply took the top ten most confusing emojis from 2023 and surveyed respondents again about their meaning. We then used standard deviation to analyze answer choices to figure out which ones puzzle Americans the most.

… how do you stddev on multiple choice…?

But take the rank 2 emoji, "gust of wind"; I would say the top 3 choices are all pretty valid … depending on the context. The thing about emoji is that they're highly contextual. If I see "eggplant" on a grocery list, it might be just an eggplant. In other contexts … well. Similar with "persevering face"; I've probably used it for every option listed, depending on context. There's not always a 1:1 match between emoji & the exact thing you're trying to express. Words have that problem, too.

They list three emoji under "the most confusing new emoji" … they only surveyed those three. (The text is explicit about it, but the headline is clickbait.)