A grid of matching symbols, except one. Find it and tap it. Twelve rounds against the clock, and the grid grows as you go.
How a run works
A run is twelve rounds long. Each grid hides exactly one symbol that breaks the pattern: another shape, a turned or mirrored copy, a dot added or missing, a ring with its gap moved, or a copy a touch smaller. Tap it and the next grid takes its place.
Every wrong tap puts two seconds on your clock. The result is the total time for all twelve rounds, penalties included, and a lower total is better; mistakes and the time per round are listed too.
Levels
- Easy: shapes, half turns and dot counts, from a 3×3 grid up to 5×5.
- Medium: quarter turns, mirror images, dots and ring gaps, from 4×4 up to 6×6.
- Hard: eighth turns, mirror images and a copy 16 % smaller, from 5×5 up to 7×7.
Speed tactics
- Scan in rows, the way you read a page. Random jumps cover the same cells twice.
- Soften your gaze for a moment. The odd symbol often stands out before you look at any single cell.
- Decide the kind of difference first: if every shape matches at a glance, look for direction or for the dots.
- Two seconds is about one fast round. Tap when you are sure, not on a hunch.
Where the seconds go
Most of a round is search, not the tap. A grid of 49 symbols takes longer to cover than a grid of nine, which is why the last rounds of a run weigh most on the total.
The kind of difference matters as much as the size of the grid. A different shape stands out almost at once; a small turn, a mirrored copy or one dot more is only seen when your eyes land on that symbol. The time per round on the result card tells you whether one slow grid or a steady drag cost you the most.
Questions
Do I need to tell colours apart?
No. The odd symbol always differs in shape, direction, size or dots, never in colour alone.
Is there keyboard control?
There is: the arrow keys walk through the grid and Enter picks the symbol you are on.
Does the timer include the moment between rounds?
Only the time a grid is on screen counts, from the frame it appears to your tap.
Why are the grids bigger on later rounds?
Each level has a set of grid sizes that grows through the twelve rounds, so the hardest search comes at the end.
Is there a fixed version to practise on?
Yes: the Odd One Out ladder, with a time target for each step.