Visual Puzzles Extravaganza!

Mitchell Allen

13 Apr 2025 — 3 min read

What Are Visual Puzzles?

Visual puzzles come in all shapes and sizes. In this issue, I'll talk about a few, link to others and then share a special collection of my best puzzles (some are reprints.)

Optical Illusions

These are not really puzzles, but they are visual curiosities that trick your eye. In fact, you may have seen the term, trompe-l'œil, which literally means "deceive the eye."

Check out a video of this sidewalk artist. (link)

The artist, M. C. Escher, used mathematical illusionism and impossible geometry to create mind-bending images.

Hidden Objects

You may be familiar with Where's Waldo, I Spy and other picture puzzle books. The task, of course, is to find specific objects.

Spot the Difference

These puzzles have been with us since grade school. The challenges vary from finding the odd one out, to finding unmatched image, to finding variations between to similar images.

Pattern Puzzles

What comes next? This blend of visual and logic is a tasty treat for your brain. You are shown a series of images that appear to be in some sort of pattern. You have to determine what image comes next.

There is also a variant that continually pops up on social media, where the pattern is a series of mathematical assertions, followed by a different image where you have to figure out the correct value of the items. They are known as pictorial equations or algebraic picture puzzles.

You can click to visit this Pinterest board

Puzzles

The downloadable puzzles for this issue celebrate visual challenges. I created one hidden objects puzzle, two spot-the-difference puzzles and three pattern puzzles.

I've also included a collection of one of my favorite designs: a word association puzzle that uses a collage of related images. Long-time readers may remember these.

Artificial Intelligence

I'm a fan of using AI generated images; however, stock images can be perfect for visual puzzles. You can even search for "hidden objects" to find images suitable for children and adults. For Spot-the-difference, flat-lay images can be a great starting point, if you know how to edit them.

Sometimes, stock images just won't have what I want. Check out this little puzzle:

To solve this puzzle, study the clue: Letter spam induced violent rage (5,6)

You have to find a related five-letter word, insert a letter to get a related six-letter word. You must not rearrange the letters other than to place the new letter somewhere between them. If you give up, or want to share your answer, hit reply.

Another use for AI-generated images is to create "impossible" visuals. Here's a silly puzzle, made with DALL-E 3: what word does each picture represent?