Internet Culture

15 Wonky Optical Illusions That Send the Mind for a Spin

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Side-by-side images: on the left, an aerial view of a coastline labeled “Impossible cliff illusion”; on the right, a view of feet on a patterned carpet labeled “Where are her shoes?”
via Reddit.com

Optical illusions are fun. They momentarily break down any illusions about always being able to see things clearly. In fact, there comes a moment when it almost seems like our eyes are making their best guesses at some of these faraway objects, sights, etc. This seems to ring especially true out in nature. Otherwise though, people can even create their own optical illusions with the technology at their disposal these days. It’s some kind of wizardry if you ask me.

1. Yeah, so it turns out these aren’t the spirals you’re looking for

u/mattatplaton/via reddit.com

“Impressive, have to trace them out to see that they’re not spirals.” – u/nydan

“Dude, good find.” – u/lll

2. Talk about an impossible cliff illusion

Aerial view of a long, forested sand spit extending into a large body of water, with a grid of agricultural fields and wind turbines on the adjacent coastline.
u/M0MN0M/via Reddit.com

3. Go ahead and count the dots

A grid of gray lines intersecting at black dots, forming a pattern of squares and diagonal lines.
u/tendtouselogic/via Reddit.com

4. “What?”

An optical illusion artwork features a series of interconnected, three-dimensional bars creating a visually confusing, infinite loop. The text "follow the blocks" with an arrow appears on the left side, directing the viewer's attention to the loop's starting point.
u/reactionbox777/via reddit.com

“This made me uncomfortable.” – u/velocijoey23

“Not okay. This is such a weird effect.” – u/Fire9Ball

5. “Yes, this fascinated me.”

Text-based optical illusion with instructions to close one eye, tilt the phone back, and look at the screen from the charging port to reveal the message. The hidden message reads: "You're doing great and I'm glad you exist.
u/ruby666/via reddit.com

“So uplifting.” – u/dark6888

“This is cool, but it tests the bounds for being an optical illusion.” – u/TheEmpire

Trending on The Scroller

6. “Look normally, and then hold at arm’s length.”

A bouquet-style arrangement featuring two cheeseburgers with lettuce, tomato, and sesame seed buns, accompanied by a serving of french fries, all wrapped in red and white paper with a ribbon design. The background is a dark wooden table.
u/bien-helena/via reddit.com

“This is really good.” – u/jadds1874

“I hugely regret looking at this.” – u/LivermoreP1

7. “An oldie, but a goodie.”

Three water bottles cast shadows on a wall, creating the illusion of three ghostly figures, accompanied by the caption "My water bottles almost just scared me to death" with crying face emojis.
u/cflorest/via reddit.com

“That’s terrifying.” – u/CeruleanRuin

“No way.” – u/pensuad

8. “Just your average chromostereopic illusion.”

A circular abstract design featuring three concentric rings. The outermost and innermost rings are composed of red speckles, while the middle ring is made up of blue speckles. The background is black, which accentuates the vibrant colors of the rings.
u/jeezarch/via reddit.com

“How do some people not see it though?” – u/LeviathonMt

“The blue looks like it pops out for me.” – u/chillpill_23

9. “So simple, yet so cool optical illusion.”

Four wooden triangular frames of varying sizes are nested concentrically, resting against a concrete wall in a dimly lit space. The careful alignment produces intriguing shadows, enhancing the geometric shape and adding depth to the minimalist arrangement.
u/evaraw666/via reddit.com

“More art but neat.” – u/dafones

“Wow, took me multiple steps to realize what I’m looking at.” – u/Feztopia

10. “Wholesome pic turned into an illusion.”

A man with light hair and a red beard is sitting on a couch. A dog with reddish fur is sitting on his lap, making it appear as if the dog's ears and snout are part of the man's beard, creating a humorous illusion. A whiteboard with various notes is on the wall behind him.
u/youdavid/via reddit.com

“It took me way longer than I’d like to admit to realize that was a dog and not his face.” – u/MonarchofLight

11. “Someone just tell me what I’m seeing.”

A ginger cat is lying on a narrow ledge at the bottom of a carpeted staircase, peering down at the camera with its paws hanging over the edge. The surrounding walls are painted yellow and the ceiling is white with a smoke detector visible.
u/subject-complex-2120/via reddit.com

“Open steps, no backings.” – u/Lost_Minds_Think

“Bottom of a staircase that a cat is peeking through.” – u/Forsake-Income-2148

12. “So many mysterious shapes.”

A grayscale optical illusion featuring a pattern of repeating square and circular shapes with striped designs. The squares and circles alternate in rows, creating a visually striking and hypnotic effect.
u?hovik_gasparyan/via reddit.com

“All I see is rectangles, I feel like I’m missing something.” – u/Last05

“I have to force myself to see the circles.” – u/Topspinlob

13. “Laughing jester face.”

A deep-sea photo of a shark showing it with its mouth wide open, displaying numerous sharp teeth, and viewed from below. The caption at the top reads: "Because regular photos of huge sharks in deep water aren't terrifying enough!
u/dawn_irl/via reddit.com

“Well. The deep seas just got even scarier.” – u/KudosoftheFroodn

“Robot devil.” – u/Pope_A

14. “Excuse me.”

Two women, one in a green shirt and the other in a black tank top, smile as they pose for a photo outdoors. The woman in the green shirt has her hand around the other woman's shoulder. A man in a white plaid shirt stands in the background, smiling.
u/deleted/via reddit.com

The real question is, why did this dude feel compelled to wear those shorts? No one is ever going to know, but we can just speculate for now.

15. Where are her shoes?

A person wearing light-colored trousers and leopard-print flats stands on a blue, red, and beige patterned carpet.
u/notooth5529/via Reddit.com

Craving even more mind-bending visuals?

Craving even more mind-bending visuals? Test your eyes with 19 Mind-Blowing Images Taken From Confusing Perspectives, push your brain to the limit in The Optical Illusion Olympics: 23 Photos That Are Wildly Deceptive, and hunt for hidden details in 19 Sneaky Pics That Have Things Hiding in Plain Sight.

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Meet the Writer


Matt Staff

Matt has spent over the last 8 years as both a writer and editor, working in Seattle and Brooklyn, where he is now based. He loves escaping the tirelessly fast pace of the “Mad Apple” that is NYC by taking walks and runs through parks where he’s able to catch up on the latest tea about society from the city’s ever chatty, always hungry, occasionally maniacal, pigeons. They always have a lot to say. When he’s not taking his urban nature strolls, or dutifully combing the deepest rabbit holes of the internet to find the content that’s worth sinking your mind’s teeth into, he’s likely holed up at a dark-lit dive bar with a new book and/or some friends, or just as easily he could be on the hunt for the next addition to his steadily growing plant family.

These days Matt’s caught up in trying to provide folks as many vivid glimpses into the days long since passed as he can, through fun and engaging collections of hand-picked vintage photos.



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