The answer is 91 squares.
Most people count the little squares, get to 36, and stop — but a grid hides squares of every size, and every single one of them counts. Work through it size by size:
- 1×1 squares: 6 across × 6 down = 36
- 2×2 squares: they can sit in 5 positions across and 5 down = 25
- 3×3 squares: 4 positions across and 4 down = 16
- 4×4 squares: 3 positions across and 3 down = 9
- 5×5 squares: 2 positions across and 2 down = 4
- 6×6 squares: the whole grid itself = 1
Now add them up: 36 + 25 + 16 + 9 + 4 + 1 = 91.
Here’s the pattern that makes it click: every time the square grows by one, its count is just a smaller square number — 36, 25, 16, 9, 4, 1 are simply 6², 5², 4², 3², 2², 1². And here’s the trap that catches almost everybody: if you only found 36, you counted the pieces and forgot the pictures they build together. The biggest miss is usually the 2×2s — all 25 of them, hiding in plain sight.
Did you land on 91, or did the grid stop you at 36? Be honest in the comments — and watch our page for tomorrow’s counting game.
Tell us in the comments below - we read every single one, and the best takes get featured.
