Odd One Out

Somewhere in the grid, one symbol is not quite like the rest.

A grid of small symbols, all alike except one. It might be turned a quarter, mirrored, carry one dot more, or be very slightly smaller. Find it and tap it. Twelve rounds, the grid grows as you go, and the clock adds two seconds for every wrong tap.

How to play

Scan the grid and tap the symbol that is not like the others.
Tapping the wrong symbol puts two extra seconds on your clock, and the same round carries on.
Twelve rounds; the grid gets larger as the rounds go by.

Levels and modes

EasyEasy uses different shapes, half turns and dot counts on grids from three by three to five by five.
MediumMedium brings quarter turns, mirrored symbols and rings with their gap moved, on grids up to six by six.
HardHard uses eighth turns, mirrored symbols and a size difference of about a sixth, on grids up to seven by seven.

What your result means

The result is your total time for twelve rounds, including the penalty seconds, and lower is better. The card shows mistakes, the average time per round and how many seconds the penalties added.

Tips from the tea table

Resist checking symbols one at a time. Let your gaze rest loosely on the whole grid; quite often the different one steps forward on its own.
Sweep in rows when it does not pop out. Rows are easier to keep track of than a wandering search.
For turns and mirrors, pick one feature of the symbol, like the foot of an L, and look only for where it points.
Care pays more than haste: each wrong tap adds two seconds, longer than most rounds last.

Questions

Could the odd symbol differ from the rest by colour alone?

No. Odd One Out avoids colour-only differences, so it plays the same for everyone.

Why did a round take so long?

Mirrored symbols and eighth turns on a large grid are the slowest to find. Some rounds will always be slower than others.

Does Odd One Out work with keys?

Yes: arrow keys hop from symbol to symbol and Enter makes the choice.

What counts as a round?

One grid with one odd symbol. When you find it, the next grid appears.

Tea sets with Odd One Out

These sets pour Odd One Out as one of their three cups:

How each kind of task works