The Best Types of Puzzles for Adults & Kids

Puzzles are super fun to complete and are great for boosting your brain power and staying sharp!. There is a variety to choose from depending on your interests and skill level, and both kids and adults can benefit from them. We spoke to some of wikiHow's puzzle expert partners to get more insight into all the different types of puzzles and how they work, including jigsaw puzzles, word puzzles, and number puzzles, and more!

Popular Types of Puzzles

Jigsaw and spatial puzzles (floor puzzles, 3D puzzles)
Word puzzles (word searches, crossword puzzles)
Number and logic puzzles (Sudoku, Kakuro)
Mechanical and physical puzzles (Rubik’s Cube, disentanglement puzzles)
Visual and hidden object puzzles (“Spot the Difference,” mazes)
Specialty puzzles (Murder mysteries, escape rooms)

Section 1 of 9:

Jigsaw & Spatial Puzzles

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2D puzzles 2D puzzles are the most common type of jigsaw puzzle and likely the first thing that comes to mind when you think of them. These flat puzzles come in different sizes, but the most common is a 1,000-piece puzzle. The pieces can be large or small and made of cardboard or wood. The goal is to connect the pieces to form a specific shape or image.^{[1]
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- Puzzle and riddle expert A.J. Jacobs gives his insight on jigsaw puzzles, explaining, “Some brands create puzzles with almost identical piece shapes, which makes them harder. I prefer puzzles with uniquely shaped pieces—like curves or unusual outlines.”^{[2]
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Meet the wikiHow Experts

A.J. Jacobs is a puzzle and riddle expert and author of the book, The Puzzler.

Ada Nicolle is a crossword puzzle expert who specializes in themeless, pop culture crossword puzzles.

Adrienne Raphel is a crossword puzzle expert and author of Thinking Inside the Box: Adventures with Crosswords and the Puzzling People Who Can't Live Without Them.

Ng Jie Xin (Jason) is a riddle expert who creates engaging content around riddles for his more than 360K social media followers.

Kevin Bentley is a puzzle making expert who invented a unique logic puzzle called Komino Puzzles.
3D puzzles include two-dimensional pieces that come together to create a three-dimensional masterpiece! The pieces can be made from cardboard, foam, or wood. With these puzzles, you can make actual 3D structures, like buildings, ships, and many other objects.

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Floor jigsaw puzzles have all the basic elements of a jigsaw puzzle, except that they are big enough to assemble on the floor. They can consist of 20 to 100 large puzzle pieces that link together to form an image.

Section 2 of 9:

Word Puzzles

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Word search Word search puzzles test your language and vocabulary skills. They feature a bunch of letters in the shape of a grid. Hidden in the grid are words, and the goal is to find and circle as many words as possible. Words are placed vertically, horizontally, and diagonally. Sometimes, words are arranged backwards to make things even more challenging.
- Word search puzzles can improve your pattern-recognition skills and even improve your mood.^{[3]
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Crossword puzzles Crossword puzzles come with clues to help you figure out the correct word to write in the corresponding squares. You write the letters in the white squares, and the black squares separate the words. Besides figuring out the clues, you also have to make sure you’re spelling the word correctly because every word in the puzzle connects with another word.
- Crossword puzzle expert Ada Nicolle points out that there’s a difference between American crosswords and British crosswords. In an American-style crossword, “every white square is used in at least one entry, as opposed to a British-style crossword puzzle or a cryptic crossword.” She adds that crosswords can also be “themed or themeless.”^{[4]
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Anagram puzzles give you a word that can be rearranged to spell something else.^{[5]
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Research source} There are rules you have to follow, though. You have to use all the letters, and each letter can only be used once. If you consider yourself an advanced wordsmith, you’ll enjoy the challenge.
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Cryptograms Cryptograms give you a hidden message that you need to decode. Crossword puzzle expert Adrienne Raphel explains how cryptic crosswords work: “Often there's a style of crossword called cryptic crosswords that function a lot more like riddles. The clues in those have two layers in them. There is your sort of standard kind of question and answer like, ‘This thing is this thing,’ but they also have a layer of wordplay, and the layer of wordplay is also going to be by the way the clue is written.”^{[6]
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Adrienne Raphel
Crossword Puzzle Expert

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- Jacobs shares how cryptic crosswords differ from traditional crossword puzzles: “Cryptic crosswords are very different from regular American-style crosswords. They started in Britain and are gaining popularity in the U.S. They are very tricky and involve wordplay. A cryptic clue has two parts: the definition and the wordplay.”^{[7]
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Riddles Riddles pose word or logic questions that make you flex your brain muscles to figure out the answers. Riddle expert Ng Jie Xin (Jason) shares his insight on riddles, saying that the beauty of a riddle is that “there shouldn't be a correct answer. It's not to test your IQ or your smartness level, but it's to spark conversations."^{[8]
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Ng Jie Xin (Jason)
Riddle Expert

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- Here’s an example of a riddle:
  - What can you put in a bucket to make it weigh less? A hole.

Section 3 of 9:

Number & Logic Puzzles

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Sudoku is a popular number puzzle, and you don’t have to be a math expert to play it. It consists of a matrix with rows, columns, and subgrids. You fill in these spaces with the numbers one through nine. You just have to make sure a number isn’t repeated in a single row, column, or subgrid. You don’t have to solve any math problems, but you do have to use logic when looking at the grid.^{[9]
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Kakuro involves some math knowledge to play. Like many number and logic puzzles, it calls for deductive reasoning and pattern recognition.^{[10]
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Research source} Puzzlemaking expert Kevin Bentley explains, “[Kakuro] relies on numerical combinations and basic math.”^{[11]
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Kevin Bentley
Puzzlemaking Expert

Expert Interview} The puzzle is a grid that includes numerical clues. To play, you fill in the rows with numbers 1-9 so that the total equals the number given in the clue.^{[12]
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Section 4 of 9:

Mechanical & Physical Puzzles

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Rubik’s Cube A Rubik’s Cube is a type of 3D puzzle consisting of a 3x3x3 cube and involves moving parts to solve. Each side of the cube is made up of 9 smaller squares, so there’s a total of 54 squares. When solved, each side is a solid color. The colors are white, yellow, red, orange, blue, and green.
- To get started, you mix up the color arrangement of the cube. Then, you twist and move the parts until each face of the cube is back to being a single color.
- The interesting thing about solving a Rubik’s Cube is that you get to see how the pieces connect with every move you make.^{[13]
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Scrabble includes a grid-shaped board and tiles with letters. Unlike other puzzles, this one is more like a board game and meant to be done with two to four players. Every player starts with seven tiles and forms words on the board. Words interlock with other words on the board. Every tile is worth a certain number of points, and the player with the most points at the end of the game wins.^{[14]
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The Pyraminx is in the shape of a tetrahedron and has four sides. It’s similar to a Rubik’s Cube and is very hands-on. However, instead of squares, it’s made up of many small triangles that are different colors. When the colors are mixed up, the goal is to twist the pieces so that each side of the triangle is a solid color.^{[15]
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Disentanglement puzzles Disentanglement puzzles are a mechanical puzzle that are also considered brain teasers. They come in different designs, from wood to metal. The goal is to untangle the pieces in a set.^{[16]
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Research source} A few types include:
- Ring-based puzzles
- Wire puzzles
- Wood and string puzzles
- Rope and shuttle puzzles

Section 5 of 9:

Visual & Hidden Object Puzzles

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A Spot the Difference game presents you with two images side-by-side that look nearly identical. Your job is to spot as many differences as possible. The variations between the pictures can include missing items, changes in color, altered shapes, and more. Be prepared to have your concentration and memory skills tested.^{[17]
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Hidden object puzzles involve a detailed image with several types of objects concealed within it. You’re given a list of objects to find, and they can be camouflaged in a variety of ways. These puzzles come in all sorts of themes, including fantasy, landscapes, and historic art, just to name a few. They’re also great for any skill level, from beginner to advanced.^{[18]
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A maze is a puzzle where you have to find your way to its end. They’re filled with dead ends to make the game more challenging. There are mazes you do on paper where you navigate your way using a pen or pencil. There are also physical mazes you can walk through, like corn mazes and hedge mazes. Hedge mazes were popular in British formal gardens during the 18th century.^{[19]
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With the 9-dot puzzle, you have to connect nine dots that are in a 3x3 grid. Jacobs considers this to be one of the most fascinating types of mechanical puzzles because you have to “think outside the box—literally!” He goes on to explain that “you need to draw lines outside the square to connect all the dots.”^{[20]
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A.J. Jacobs
Crossword Puzzle Expert

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Section 6 of 9:

Specialty Puzzles

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Murder mystery puzzles are a type of jigsaw puzzle but are more interactive. They come with a storyline and a variety of clues to help you put the pieces of the puzzle together. Once you have the completed image, you use it to get the evidence you need to solve the crime. They can be played alone but are much more fun when played in a group.
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Escape rooms An escape room is an interactive game that features puzzle-solving, storylines, and teamwork. They’re not your typical type of puzzle, but they still challenge you and call on your problem-solving skills. Escape rooms first emerged in the early 2000s as video games where players had to make their way through a virtual world. These digital games inspired the physical escape rooms that exist today.^{[21]
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- Escape room expert Bob Melkus shares what makes a good escape room: “Just like a good story, an escape room needs a beginning, middle, and an end.^{[22]
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- He adds that immersion is key, saying, “[Players] forget that there's a world outside. They're fully immersed in the experience. So, every puzzle [in the room] should answer the question ‘Why is this here? Who left it there?’”^{[23]
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Section 7 of 9:

Puzzles for Kids

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Puzzles for kids are great for early childhood education and development. They can improve young children’s fine motor skills, memory, and focus.^{[24]
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Research source} There are many types to choose from that can be done by children as young as a few months old. If you’re a parent looking for a good puzzle for your little one, here are a few you can consider.^{[25]
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- Jigsaw puzzles: They come with puzzle pieces in different sizes that kids can connect together to create a picture.
- Insert puzzles: These are great for toddlers and involve fitting the pieces into the correct spot. The puzzle pieces can be letters, shapes, pegs, and more.
- Word and logic puzzles: These are good for school-age kids. They can include word searches, mazes, or crossword puzzles.
- Educational puzzles: These puzzles help kids with their math and reading skills. These types can be alphabet puzzles, number puzzles, picture puzzles, and pattern blocks.
- Origami: With origami, kids follow steps to fold puzzles that turn into shapes or animals.
- Mosaic puzzles: These puzzles let children place colorful tiles to create pictures.
- Digital puzzles: These are puzzles that children can play on a computer or electronic device. They’re interactive and fun to do with your little one.

Section 8 of 9:

Benefits of Puzzles

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Puzzles offer many benefits for your cognitive development and creativity. Besides being a fun way to pass the time, they can boost your mental health and brain power. The following list includes some of the advantages that come with doing puzzles:
- Help with your cognitive development and sharpness over time
- Improvement in your problem-solving skills
- Help with relaxation
- Improvement in your creative thinking
- Improved performance in your memory and focus^{[26]
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Section 9 of 9:

Tips for Choosing a Puzzle

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Consider your interests and abilities when choosing a puzzle to complete. Think about what interests you. Do you prefer numbers, words, or interactive elements? Also, choose a puzzle that matches your skill level. If it’s too easy, you’ll get bored. On the other hand, if the puzzle is too difficult, you may get discouraged and not feel motivated to finish. Changing it up from time to time and trying out different types of puzzles can keep things fun for you.