Every day, you come across various signs and symbols along your way. Whether they’re traffic signs on the streets, emergency exit signs in buildings, or informational signs in your home. You might not even pay attention to them, despite constantly encountering them. So it’s time to test your awareness and see what you notice and remember. Take our quiz and find out how many signs and symbols you can recognize!
You’ll find lots of fun games like this on our website. Also check out the Blind Test and see if you have good eyesight!
Signs and symbols are a great way to convey important information quickly and clearly. And they’re understandable across all languages! That’s why pictorial forms are used so often. Not only in traffic, but also on clothing tags, electrical appliances, and other everyday items. Before you take the quiz, take a quick moment to recall which signs and symbols you already are familiar with.
There are plenty of signs and symbols on the roads designed to quickly inform drivers. This makes sense, since written text would be difficult to read while driving, and spotting a sign in bold colors immediately tells us what to expect.
Traffic signs and symbols around the world are quite similar, though they may vary slightly from country to country. That’s why drivers traveling to distant places should always familiarize themselves with the signs in use in a given country. Most signs and symbols, however, are designed so that their context is easy to recognize. For example, a warning that a kangaroo might jump onto the road is a sign found mainly in Australia. But anyone who knows what this animal looks like will be able to easily understand the meaning of this road sign.
In addition to traffic signs and symbols for drivers, there are also many signs and symbols for pedestrians and cyclists. Signs in public places are everywhere, and you’ve probably gotten so used to them that you don’t even notice their specific designs.
Take, for example, the sign for a restroom. There are various ways to indicate that a given room is where you can use the sanitary facilities. Often, it’s just the letters “WC.” Simple, shorter than the word “restroom,” and understandable in any language.
But restrooms are also sometimes separated by gender. In those cases, specific symbols are used, usually in the shape of little people, where the one wearing a dress represents a woman. But there’s also another, simpler symbol used in some countries: a circle for the women’s restroom and a triangle for the men’s. However, many people have trouble remembering which shape is for whom!
The clothes you wear also have lots of signs and symbols on their care labels. Why are they there? Mainly so you know how to care for that garment! They usually include information on whether the item can be machine-washed, at what temperature, whether it can be tumble-dried, ironed, and what cleaning products to use.
Some clothes, especially those made of delicate fabrics, aren’t meant to be washed in a washing machine because they’ll simply get ruined. They’ll shrink, pill, and become unwearable. In those cases, manufacturers include instructions on the label stating that they should be hand-washed. And they wash their hands of damaged clothes that customers didn’t know how to care for! It’s therefore worth familiarizing yourself with the signs and symbols that appear on care labels. Think you know them? Take our quiz and see how many of them you can recognize!
These days, every home is full of electrical appliances. They make people’s daily lives easier. However, you have to be careful with devices that plug into an electrical outlet. There’s always a risk that something will go wrong, a short circuit will occur, a fire will break out, and disaster will strike. That’s why manufacturers also include a host of warning and informational signs and symbols on the packaging of such products.
For example, you may have come across an image like this on your smartphone or another device, showing a crossed-out trash can. Does this mean you should skip recycling? Quite the opposite! This symbol informs you that the device in question should not be thrown into a regular trash can. This is because it may contain hazardous substances inside, posing a threat if discarded with other trash.
Batteries often contain toxic ingredients such as lead or mercury, and when they end up in a landfill, they can poison the surrounding environment. That’s why such items should be taken to designated collection points, where they will be handed over to the appropriate people and recycled.
You’ll also find various labels and symbols on food packaging. It’s worth familiarizing yourself with them before you take a bite of your snack! They can tell you what ingredients a product is made of, such as whether it’s vegan or gluten-free. There are also labels that indicate the conditions under which fruits or vegetables were grown, such as pesticide-free or GMO-free. Thanks to such labeling, customers can be more aware of what they’re buying and putting on their plates. On food packaging, you’ll also find information on how to store a product so it stays fresh as long as possible. For example, the umbrella symbol means to protect it from moisture.
What’s more, you’ll also find various marks and symbols on tableware. For example, the classic wine glass symbol, or sometimes a version featuring a wine glass and a fork. Does this mean you need fancier tableware for dinner? No, it’s a simple symbol indicating that the item is safe for contact with food. It can therefore appear on cups, disposable plates, and other tableware. Manufacturers also often include information on how to care for their tableware, such as whether it’s dishwasher-safe, at what temperature, and so on.
The online world is also full of specific characters and symbols. Those who spend a lot of time online are very familiar with them. This allows them to navigate websites more quickly and find information in the blink of an eye.
One such symbol is, for example, the inverted teardrop, which is a location marker. Many websites and apps allow the use of location data for specific purposes. For example, GPS maps, which of course need to know your location first in order to show you the right route.
Another symbol, a more classic one that has been around since the early days of the internet, is the at sign. Used mainly in emails, but also on various social media platforms, it appears before usernames. Interestingly, although this symbol is recognized by the same graphic in every country, it has various funny names. For example, a dog, a monkey, or even a gingerbread cookie!
Okay, you’ve recalled a lot of different signs and symbols, so you’re ready for the quiz! Take on the challenge and see how many of them you can recognize. A high score means you’re a very observant person who doesn’t miss a single detail!
And if you’re in the mood for something different, we’ve also got a great way to test your intuition! Take this True or False Test and see if your sixth sense is leading you in the right direction!
