Figure Analogy Puzzles
A is to B as C is to what? One change happens between the first two figures, and the whole question is whether you can say exactly what it was — then do the same thing to a figure that started somewhere else. Sixty patterns, unlimited generated puzzles, and the reasoning after every attempt, including why each wrong option is wrong.
Also known as picture analogy, abstract analogy and A : B :: C : ?.
A Is To B As C Is To What
An analogy shows one change twice. A becomes B by a rule — a turn, a fill change, a shape swap — and C is waiting for the same rule to be applied. The work is naming the change precisely and carrying it across without drift.
How To Solve Figure Analogy Puzzles
- Compare A with B and name the change in words.
- Note what stays constant between A and B — it must stay constant between C and the answer.
- Apply the change to C exactly once.
- Reject options that apply the change backwards, twice, or not at all.
An analogy states a change to apply, not a fixed target to copy. Copying B itself is the classic wrong answer, and it appears deliberately here.
| Family | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Rotation | The figure turns by a fixed angle between A and B. |
| Shape change | The outline gains or loses sides. |
| Shading | The fill moves through its cycle. |
| Counting | Dots or spokes are added or taken away. |
| Size | The figure grows or shrinks by a fixed step. |
| Position | Something travels rather than changing what it is. |
| Inner shape | The shape inside changes or turns. |
| Two changes at once | The transform does two things, and both must carry across. |
One Change, Named Precisely
The strongest habit is precision: "turns a quarter turn clockwise and keeps the fill" is a rule you can test options against. "Changes somehow" is not. Every wrong option on this page is a named misreading — backwards, doubled, copied, or half-applied.
Figure Analogy Puzzles Frequently Asked Questions
Should the answer copy B, or change C?
Change C. An analogy states a change to apply, not a target to copy. The test is whether C matters: if your answer would be the same whatever C looked like, you have read the pair as an absolute and the reading is wrong.
How is this different from a figure series?
A series shows the rule several times over, so you can check your reading against the next step. An analogy shows it once. Same rules, far less confirmation.
What if two options both seem to fit?
Then one of them is changing something the first pair left alone. Go back and list what stayed the same between A and B — that list eliminates it.
How many puzzles are there?
There is no fixed number. Each puzzle is rebuilt from the short seed in the page address, so the supply is effectively unlimited. Copying the puzzle link saves that exact puzzle permanently.
Can I practise one pattern at a time?
Yes. Pick any pattern from the catalogue above and the board switches to that pattern only, with its own address you can bookmark or hand out.
What is a figure analogy question?
You are shown a pair of figures, A and B, and a third figure C. Something changes between A and B - a turn, a fill, a count, a size - and your job is to make the same change to C. It is written A : B :: C : ? and is also called a figure analogy, picture analogy or abstract analogy.
Is it free and does it need an account?
It is completely free and there is no account. Nothing is uploaded; your score is kept only in your own browser.
How do you solve a figure analogy?
Work out what was done to A to get B, then do that same thing to C. Describe the change as an action rather than as a result — "turned a quarter turn and lost a dot" travels to C, whereas "ends up as a hatched square" does not. If two options both fit, you have probably described the change too loosely.