Odd One Out

What can be different

On level 1 the odd symbol has another shape, is turned upside down or has a different number of dots, and the grid grows from 3×3 to 5×5. Level 2 uses quarter turns, mirror images, dot counts and gaps in a ring, on grids up to 6×6. Level 3 is the fine one: turns of 45 degrees, mirror images and a symbol a sixth smaller than its neighbours, on grids up to 7×7.

The difference is never a colour, so the game works for colour-blind players. Each round is drawn from the seed, which is how the daily version gives everyone the same twelve grids.

How to scan a grid

• Do not read the grid symbol by symbol. Look at the middle and let your eyes go soft; the odd one often pops out of the texture.
• If nothing pops, sweep in rows, left to right, like reading a page.
• For turns and mirrors, fix on one feature such as a notch or a dot and watch where it sits in each symbol.
• A wrong tap costs two seconds, more than a careful second look. Tap only when you see it.

Thirty seconds for twelve rounds on level 1 is a solid time. Twenty seconds or less is quick by any measure.

Reading the result

The result card shows your total time, your mistakes and the time per round. The slowest rounds are usually the ones where the difference was a mirror image or a small turn, and those are worth practising on their own at level 2. Your best time for each level and the last twenty runs are kept as a chart in which a lower time is drawn higher, so up always means better.

Twelve rounds take well under a minute once you are used to them, which is why Odd One Out makes such a good morning Spark.

Questions