Quizzes

Can You See in Shades of Black?

Are your reading reflexes precise, or do similar shades of black trip you up? Let’s find out how finely tuned your eyes are.

Shai K. 5/12/2025

Think your eyes are sharp enough to catch subtle details? This quiz will put your visual perception of color to the test. You’ll be shown 12 sets of words and your task is simple: pick the correct word hiding in the dark background. But don’t let your brain rush ahead - many of the fakes look almost identical. Are your reading reflexes precise, or do similar shades of black trip you up? Let’s find out how finely tuned your eyes are.

Which word is hiding in this black image?

Proper

Prosper

Impose

Propose

Can't see anything

Which word is hiding in this black image?

Brambles

Shambles

Scrambles

Samples

Can't see anything

Which word is hiding in this black image?

Trumpet

Strumpet

Crumpet

Puppet

Can't see anything

Which word is hiding in this black image?

Registry

Ancestry

Industry

Monastery

Can't see anything

Which word is hiding in this black image?

Waterfall

Freefall

Windfall

Downfall

Can't see anything

Which word is hiding in this black image?

Can't see anything

Patience

Sentence

Science

Persistence

Which word is hiding in this black image?

Elephant

Elegant

Peasant

Pleasant

Can't see anything

Which word is hiding in this black image?

Powerful

Colorful

Mindful

Wonderful

Can't see anything

Which word is hiding in this black image?

Cartoon

Balloon

Raccoon

Harpoon

Can't see anything

Which word is hiding in this black image?

Engine

Margin

Begin

Benign

Can't see anything

Which word is hiding in this black image?

Slowly

Lowly

Closely

Boldly

Can't see anything

Which word is hiding in this black image?

Pamper

Tamper

Camper

Hamper

Can't see anything

Too Dark to See

No shame in this. These word illusions are tougher than they look. Our brains are wired to see what we expect, not necessarily what’s there, and this quiz took full advantage. You might have fallen for the classic traps: repeated letters, swapped characters, or sneaky symbols. If anything, this just proves how good your brain is at auto-correcting on the fly. With a little more awareness and slower reading, you might start spotting the tricks before they slip by.

Good Eyes

You’ve got good eyes, no doubt, but a few near-misses suggest you’re more attentive than obsessive. You caught most of the visual tricks, but a couple of clever fakes slipped past. Maybe it was a swapped “i” for an “l,” or a sneaky number hiding in plain sight. With a little more focus, or maybe a stronger coffee, you’d have aced it. Still, this performance shows solid perception and attention. Enough to raise suspicion you’d be great at spotting typos.

Terrific Color Vision!

Impressive. You’ve got the kind of vision proofreaders, spies, and typographers dream about. You spotted nearly every trick: letter swaps, font traps, and even foreign character substitutions. Whether it’s pixel-perfect perception or just laser-like focus, your eyes don’t miss a thing. If there were a league for visual attention to detail, you’d be captain. Next time someone hands you a “Where’s Waldo?” book, take it as a compliment. They’re clearly underestimating your superpower.