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Odd-One-Out
A 3×3 grid where eight cells follow a rule and one breaks it — click the violator.
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A 3×3 grid where eight cells follow a rule and one breaks it — click the violator.
Odd-one-out puzzles show a full 3×3 grid in which a single row-rule or column-rule (e.g., 'each column has three different shapes', 'fill increases across each row') governs eight of the nine cells. Exactly one cell — the violator — has a different value for the rule's controlled attribute and breaks the pattern. The user clicks the violator directly. Cattell's Culture Fair Intelligence Test (1949) popularized this format because it requires rule discovery without relying on language; it is widely used in cross-cultural and culture-fair assessments.
∀ i ∈ cells \ {v} : rule(i) holds ∧ ¬rule(v)
- Rule borderRow: every row has none/dashed/solid borders. Violator has 'solid' where 'dashed' is expected.
- Rule shapeCol: every column has three different shapes. Violator has a duplicate shape.
- Rule fillRow: every row has empty/half/filled fills. Violator has 'half' where 'filled' is expected.
How to recognize it
- Scan rows for a consistent pattern; then columns; then diagonals
- Once you find the rule, walk every cell and test conformance
- The single cell that fails is the answer
Common mistakes
- Assuming the violator is visually unusual (it may differ only in border or fill)
- Spotting the rule but forgetting to test every cell
- Confirming the first 'odd-looking' cell without verifying the rule
Step-by-step walkthrough
A 3×3 grid where every row should have borders [none, dashed, solid] in column order. One cell breaks this. Find it.
- Read row 0: borders are none, dashed, solid — conforms
- Read row 1: borders are none, none, solid — middle cell should be dashed
- Click the violator
Answer: Row 1, column 1 (border 'none' where 'dashed' is required)