Which One Doesn’t Belong? See If You Can Spot the Image That’s Different

Which one doesn't belong? See if your eyes can spot the difference!

Stare at a visual puzzle long enough, and it can feel like you’ll never find the solution. You’d think that would be a reason to give up, but the challenge is exciting. And discovering the solution? That’s a thrill. Try your hand with this series of puzzles in which all the images look the same—but they’re not. Which one doesn’t belong in these spot-the-difference pictures? That’s for you to find out! Work your way through these “Which one doesn’t belong?” puzzles and see how quickly you can solve them. The answers are right below the images, so if you get stuck, just keep reading. Are you ready to look for the hidden objects and solve these visual brain teasers?

Which flower branch doesn’t belong?

Illustration of six numbered flower branchesBrainSnack

This is an image where all the illustrations already look slightly different, but there is one that doesn’t belong. Can you figure out which flower branch isn’t like the others?

Answer: Flower branch number two doesn’t belong with the rest. On all the other branches, the top flower has the same number of petals as the number of flowers on the branch.

Which cyclist doesn’t belong?

Illustration of numbered cyclistsBrainSnack

Nine cyclists are competing in a race, but one of them doesn’t belong. Make sure to look closely at their numbers, their shirts and their bikes.

Answer: Cyclist 32 isn’t the same as the others. All riders with an even number have a punctured back wheel; those with an odd number have a punctured front wheel. Well, except for number 32, an even-numbered cyclist with a front-wheel puncture.

Which carnival mask doesn’t belong?

Illustration of five numbered carnival masksBrainSnack

These sparkly carnival masks might appear the same at a glance, but in reality, one is different than the rest. Can you spot which one it is?

Answer: Mask number three doesn’t belong. On all the other masks, the pointed side of the eyes aims outward.

Which candy doesn’t belong?

Illustration of numbered pieces of candy on blue backgroundBrainSnack

These 12 sweet candies might all look similar, but one is different from the rest. How quickly can you figure out which one doesn’t belong? Make sure to look at their placement, wrappers and colors.

Answer: Candy number eight is the odd one out. There are two types of candy with alternating colored grains: yellow and red, and yellow and blue. But on the eighth candy, the color alternates every two grains. It’s so tough to spot, it’s almost an optical illusion!

Which star doesn’t belong?

Illustration of numbered stars above arctic landscapeBrainSnack

Look closely at all 12 stars. Which one doesn’t belong? Count how many points each star has and make sure to look at their placement in the sky.

Answer: Star number eight doesn’t belong with the others. If you look closely, you can see that all the other stars are reflected in the water—except the eighth star.

Which English muffin doesn’t belong?

PuzzleBrainSnack

These tasty treats are topped with olives, ham, cheese and salami. While they differ from one another, one stands out a little more than the rest. Study the different illustrations for a while to see if you can figure it out.

Find it yet? Here’s a hint: It has to do with the number of toppings on each English muffin.

Answer: If you look closely, you’ll notice that English muffin number six has three different toppings: an olive, a slice of ham and a slice of cheese. All the other muffins have only two different toppings.

Which lipstick kisses don’t belong?

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Which two lipstick kiss marks do not belong—knowing that the woman only had four lipsticks of different colors?

Answer: Kisses number four and seven do not belong with the rest. She has only blue, green, red and pink lipsticks.

Which Christmas tree doesn’t belong?

ChristmasBrainSnack

In this image, there are six different Christmas trees. One of them isn’t like the others. Can you figure out which one doesn’t belong? Make sure you look closely at the decorations and the different snow patterns on the trees.

Answer: The Christmas tree that isn’t like the others is number two. If you look closely, you’ll notice that for every other tree, the colored lights on the left side match the lights on the right side. But the two lights on the bottom branches of Christmas tree number two are different colors.

Which wheel doesn’t belong?

Illustration of five red and blue wheels on gray backgroundBrainSnack

Blue and red, red and blue. Which wheel is different from the rest? Out of these five wheels, one of them doesn’t belong. How quickly can you figure out which one it is?

Answer: The wheel that doesn’t belong is number four. The symbol turns in the opposite direction.

Which snowboard doesn’t belong?

Illustration of six numbered snowboards in snow.BrainSnack

Which one doesn’t belong? Out of these six snowboards, one isn’t like the rest. Don’t worry—you don’t have to be a pro snowboarder to figure this one out.

Answer: The snowboard that doesn’t belong is number four. On all the boards, the top of the longest stroke of the X is on the right, but this is reversed on the fourth board.

Which bowling ball doesn’t belong?

Illustration of numbered bowling balls and pins on blue backgroundBrainsnack

There are six blue bowling balls, but one of them doesn’t belong. Can you figure out which one it is? This one is tricky because they all look very, very similar.

Did you solve this one quickly?

Answer: Ball number four has two large finger holes; the other balls have only one large hole.

Which snowflake doesn’t belong?

puzzleBrainSnack

In reality, every snowflake has a unique pattern, but in this puzzle only one is different. Can you spot it? Make sure you look closely at each individual snowflake—one of them is not like the others. Which one doesn’t belong?

Answer: The sixth snowflake is not like the others. The star in the center has six points, whereas all the other snowflakes’ stars have five points.

Which lollipop doesn’t belong?

Illustration of seven lollipops on blue backgroundBrainSnack

This one is a bit more challenging because these lollipops all look slightly different. But of the seven sweets, one doesn’t belong with the rest. Can you find the one that is different?

Answer: The one that’s different from all the rest is lollipop number five. For all the other lollipops, the second and fourth rings (starting from the outer edge) are identical colors.

Which duck doesn’t belong?

Which Duck Doesnt Belong puzzle imageCourtesy PlumbNation

All these duckies are looking pretty snazzy in this puzzle from PlumbNation, but only one of them is sporting a tiny tuft of feathers. Can you pick it out of the crowd?

Answer: We circled the odd duck out below.

Which Duck Doesnt Belong AnswerCourtesy PlumbNation

Which piece of plumbing equipment doesn’t belong?

find the plumbing tool that's different puzzleCourtesy Heatable

If you think word searches are tough, try this puzzle from heating oil supplier Heatable. There are all sorts of plumbing tools—but one of them is not like the others. In fact, it’s broken! Can you find the one broken tool in this tricky brainteaser?

Answer: We circled the broken tool below.

find the plumbing tool that's different puzzle answer revealCourtesy Heatable

Which three Christmas trees don’t belong?

Christmas Tree Brainteaser ImageCourtesy Christmas Tree World

It’s a triple whammy with this puzzle from Christmas Tree World: You’re challenged to find not one but three Christmas trees without stars on top. It’s harder than you’d think!

Answer: We circled the different trees below.

Christmas Tree Brainteaser Answer ImageCourtesy Christmas Tree World

Which spider doesn’t belong?

Find The Spider That Doesnt BelongCourtesy Scribbler

Arachnophobes beware! Most of these creepy-crawlies have even sets of fangs. Some have two, and some have four. Some are hiding their choppers, while others are baring rows of teeth. But only one is missing a fang. Can you spot it? This spooky puzzle comes to us courtesy of greeting card manufacturer Scribbler.

Answer: We circled the different spider below.

Find The Spider That Doesnt Belong AnswerCourtesy Scribbler

Which snowman doesn’t belong?

Snowman With Missing Button PuzzleCourtesy Feel Good Contacts

These snow people are all looking pretty dapper, but one of them is missing a button! Most of them are rocking three buttons, but only one has two in this head-scratcher from eyewear company Feel Good Contacts.

Answer: We circled the different snowman below.

Snowman With Missing Button Puzzle AnswerCourtesy Feel Good Contacts

Which Frosty doesn’t belong?

Find The Snowman That Doesnt BelongCera Propper/rd.com

The wintry brain-teasing fun continues. While all these smiling snowmen look uniform, one is a little different from the rest. Hint: Look at the colors.

Answer: We circled the different snowman below.

Find The Snowman That Doesnt Belong AnswerCera Propper/rd.com

To test your brain even more, purchase your own copy of Mind Stretchers. Puzzle editor Allen D. Bragdon keeps you on your toes with more than 150 puzzles.

mind stretchers covers vol 1 and vol 2Mind Stretchers (2)

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Reader’s Digest is known for our humor and brain games, including quizzes, puzzles, riddles, word games, trivia, math, pattern and logic puzzles, guessing games, crosswords, rebus, hidden objects and spot-the-difference challenges. We’ve earned prestigious ASME awards for our entertainment content and have produced dozens of brain-teaser books, including Word Searches, Word Power, Use Your Words, Fun Puzzles and Brain Ticklers, Mind Stretchers, Ultimate Christmas Puzzles and more. Our 10 published volumes of Mind Stretchers were edited by Allen D. Bragdon, founder of The Brainwaves Center and editor of Games magazine. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

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Morgan Cutolo
Morgan Cutolo is a former senior production editor at Trusted Media Brands. She graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 2016, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. In her free time, she likes exploring the seacoast of Maine, where she lives, and snuggling up on the couch with her corgi, Eggo, to watch HGTV or The Office.