Different Types Of Puzzles To Sharpen Your Mind

There are many different types of puzzles on the market to choose from. Whether you’re a fan of crosswords, sudoku, jigsaw puzzles, or something else, there will be a puzzle for you to enjoy and to challenge your mind. 

What Types of Puzzles Are There?

The main types of puzzles are jigsaw puzzles, word puzzles, number puzzles, and puzzle games. Each type offers individual and distinctive challenges that stimulate your mind while providing you with entertainment. Within each group, there are different types of puzzles, so let’s start with one of the most popular, jigsaw puzzles.

Jigsaw Puzzles

Many people don’t realise that there are many different types of jigsaw puzzles. The flat puzzle that comes in a cardboard box is the most common, but there are other types which are just as, if not more, mentally stimulating.

Flat 2D Jigsaw Puzzles

The majority of jigsaw puzzles are flat, 2D  puzzles. Some of the categories mentioned below also fall into this section, but have special attributes, so they deserve a category of their own. 

Flat jigsaw puzzles come in different sizes to suit both adults and children. The most common size is the 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. The pieces are generally made from cardboard, so they are not built to last.

The images on the jigsaw puzzles vary, and you can find almost any type of picture to suit your taste, such as nature scenes, sports, TV shows, and celebrities. The more complex the image, the harder the puzzle becomes to solve. 

Recently, Robotime introduced flat 2D 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles. The colors are intense, and the images are spectacular. Scenes include ‘Walk in London’, ‘Amalfi Holiday’, and ‘Leisure in Paris’.  You will find solving them both enjoyable and challenging, allowing you to use your mind to its best advantage. 

 Robotime uses eco-friendly materials to make their 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles. They are made to last a lifetime, so they can be enjoyed again and again by you and your family, and friends. 

3D Puzzles

3D puzzles offer you a different challenge. With this type of puzzle, you have two-dimensional pieces, but they create a three-dimensional object. 

Robotime specializes in 3D wooden puzzles. They are built to last, so you can use the puzzles as works of art to decorate your home. Robotime has a wide variety of 3D puzzles, including ships, fairground rides, flowers, and musical instruments. They even produce a working clock and a Ferris wheel with a music box.

source: Wikipedia

 Murder Mystery Puzzles

Murder mystery jigsaw puzzles are both challenging and entertaining. They are perfect for both puzzle enthusiasts and those who enjoy solving clues. Murder mystery puzzles can be solved with other people; in fact, it is more fun to enjoy this puzzle with friends or family.

These jigsaw puzzles are usually made up of two puzzles, which you put together without an image to follow. When you have done this and have discovered clues, you use an accompanying booklet to help you solve the murder.

Floor Jigsaw Puzzles

This type of jigsaw puzzle is set up on the floor and is usually for young children. It is made up of large pieces ranging from 20 - 100. It is both educational and fun for children and helps them build their cognitive skills, introducing them to the joys of jigsaw puzzles at the same time. 

Mega Jigsaw Puzzles

If you have a lot of spare time, a mega jigsaw puzzle is for you. Whereas a regular jigsaw puzzle will have between 500 and 3000 pieces, most mega jigsaw puzzles have 10,000 pieces, and some even have up to 20,000. Of course, you do need a big table to solve one of these, and one you don’t need to use for the foreseeable future.

It takes patience, tenacity, and determination to complete a mega jigsaw, but it uses your mental skills to the utmost. Mega jigsaw puzzles are the ultimate in developing the sharpness of your mind.

Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles

Robotime specializes in wooden jigsaw puzzles. They are sturdier than the typical cardboard puzzle, so they can last a lifetime. Most are 3D puzzles and have an old-world allure that flat cardboard puzzles lack. 

Word Puzzles

Word puzzles, such as crosswords, are popular with puzzle addicts as they test both your vocabulary and your logic skills.  Let’s have a look at some of the most popular ones.

source: Wikipedia

Crossword Puzzles

With crossword puzzles, you are given clues and then have to fill in empty squares with the answers. As well as solving the clues, you must be able to spell the word correctly, otherwise you won’t be able to complete the puzzle. The words connect with other words in the puzzle and as well as the empty squares, there are black spaces that separate the words.  

Not all crossword puzzles are created equal. They come in different difficulty levels, so you can choose one to suit your mental skills or choose a harder puzzle to stretch your cognitive skills. 

source: Wikipedia

Word Search

Word search is another popular word puzzle. With this, you are presented with a jumble of words in rows on a grid, and you have to find as many words as possible. You can look horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. However, the words can be written backwards, which makes the puzzle harder. 

Some word search puzzles are a little easier as they allow you to make words from any of the letters without having to stay in a straight line.  

Word search puzzles come in different levels and can be geared towards both children and adults.

Anagram Puzzles

With anagram puzzles, you get a word or phrase that you then have to rearrange to make another word or phrase. All the letters have to be used, and each can only be used once.  

This type of puzzle will suit you if you have an excellent command of the language the puzzle is in. Otherwise, you might struggle.

Number Puzzles

Number puzzles are challenging and entertaining, and rely on your knowledge of numbers rather than words. However, even if you’re not that interested in math, you can still enjoy some number puzzles. 

source: Wikipedia

Sudoku

Sudoku is the most popular number puzzle on the market, possibly because you don’t need to be an expert in math. The puzzles are simple, but demanding. You have to fill in a grid with numbers from 1 - 9, ensuring that you don’t repeat a number in any row or column. 

The size of the grid can vary, as can the number of pre-filled squares. These pre-filled squares determine how difficult the puzzle will be. 

source: Wikipedia

Kakuro

Kakuro is the second most popular number puzzle in Japan, Sudoku being the first. 

Unlike Sudoku, however, you do need some math knowledge as you have to complete sums to solve the puzzle.  

The game has grids, such as you have in crossword puzzles. The black cells, however, aren't blank but tell you the total of the numbers in a row or column. You have to work out which numbers make up the sum and where to put them on the grid. 

Puzzle Games

Puzzle games are hands-on, often requiring physical manipulation of some sort. Let’s take a look at a few of these types of puzzles. 

source: Wikipedia

Rubik’s Cube

Rubik’s Cube, originally called the Magic Cube, is the most famous puzzle game out there. It was created by Erno Rubik, a Hungarian architect, in 1974, and was one of the most played games in the world in the 1980s. It is still popular, and there are competitions you can enter to showcase your skills. 

The cube is made up of 26 smaller cubes of different colors, with a rotating mechanism in the middle. You have to rotate the smaller cubes so that each side of the larger cube is the same color. 

source: Wikipedia

Scrabble

Scrabble is played on a board with tiles used for forming words. Two, three, or four people can take part in the game. The board has a 15 x 15 grid of squares, and you have to make words that connect in the same way as in a crossword puzzle. The words have to be listed in a standard dictionary, and you are allowed to challenge other competitors..

At the beginning of the game, each player takes 7 tiles. You can then try and make words on the board, replenishing the tiles at the end of your turn. The letters have different values, and the person with the highest score when all the tiles have been used up, is the winner.

Pyraminx

The Pyraminx is easier than the Rubik’s Cube as it only has four sides. It is a good place to start your journey through puzzle games. However, it can also attract the more experienced player, as there are different ways to solve the puzzle. 

source: Wikipedia

Megaminx

Once you have conquered the Rubik’s Cube, you should try Megaminx. It has 12 sides, and you have to try and get the same color on each side by moving 50 pieces. You will experience a great deal of satisfaction when you conquer this puzzle, as it is a challenge.

Mirror Cube

The pieces of the Mirror Cube are the same color, but they are different sizes. Once you have mixed up the puzzle, you have to get it back to its original shape. This puzzle will increase your spatial awareness, so is suitable if you are looking for something different from the Rubik’s Cube.

Conclusion

Whether you are a fan of jigsaw puzzles, word puzzles, number puzzles, or puzzle games, there is a puzzle out there for you. Different types of puzzles can help your cognitive skills and sharpen your mind, so choose whichever you feel the most excited about. They will all keep you alert and stop you from aging prematurely.