Shape Match
In Shape Match you pair the outlines on top with the solid shapes below. Colour and position never matter — only the shape. Free, no install, no sign-up.
In Shape Match, the top row shows outlines. The bottom row shows the same shapes filled in, in a different order. Join them up.
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Works offline after the first visit. No install, no sign-up.
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How to play Shape Match
Only the shape counts
The colour and the position of a piece have nothing to do with whether it matches. A circle in the left column pairs with a circle in the right column, whatever colour either of them is drawn in. That keeps the rule to one thing to notice.
Outline and filled shape are the same drawing
The top row and the bottom row are not two separate sets of pictures that happen to look alike. They are the same shape drawn two ways — one outlined, one filled. That is deliberate: if the two rows were drawn separately, a pair could look like a match and still be rejected, or look different and be accepted.
Every shape appears exactly once in each row
The two rows hold the same set of shapes, just in a different order. So there is always a complete pairing to be found, and the round cannot be left half-finished with a stray piece.
Getting one wrong costs nothing
If you pick a piece that does not match, the selection simply moves to the new piece. Nothing is deducted and the mistake is not fatal — mis-tapping is a normal way to look at a board.
Tapping the same piece twice cancels
Selecting a piece and then tapping it again deselects it, without counting as a mistake.
Three rounds of four pairs
Each round holds four pairs. Clear them all and tap anywhere to deal the next one.
Shape Match Tips and Strategy
Name the shape first
The outline on the top row and the solid shape below it are drawn from the same set, and the match is decided on shape alone. Colour and position play no part in the decision at all. Saying the name out loud as you look, such as hexagon or star, gives you a label to search the lower row with.
The two rows are shuffled apart
The lower row is deliberately put in a different order from the top, so matching straight down the screen will not work. Look at all four solid shapes before picking, rather than testing the one below. Reading across the lower row once is usually faster than trying candidates one at a time.
A wrong pick is free
A mismatched pair does not end the round and takes nothing off your score, it simply moves the selection to what you just tapped. That makes guessing a reasonable way to explore an unfamiliar row, as long as you keep track of what is currently selected. Clear all four pairs to finish a round, and three rounds make up a full game.
Shape Match — Frequently Asked Questions
Do the colours have to match?
No. Colour is decoration. Two shapes of the same kind match regardless of the colour each one is drawn in.
Why was my pair rejected when the shapes looked the same?
They were not the same shape. The two rows share one set of drawings, so a genuine match cannot be rejected — but shapes like a hexagon and an octagon are easy to mix up at a glance.
Is there a timer or a penalty?
No timer, and a wrong pick costs nothing but a moment.
Can a round become impossible to finish?
No. Each row holds the same shapes, so a full set of pairs always exists.
Does it need installing or an account?
No. It runs in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer and works offline after the first visit.