Can You Name All of These Shapes?

By: Ian Fortey
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
Can You Name All of These Shapes?
Image: Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images/ Wikicommons by GYassineMrabetTalk✉

About This Quiz

Basic shapes are one of the first things we get to learn about as a kid and let's be honest, it's pretty funny. You take a square block, try to fit it in a round hole and eventually you come to realize the two aren't the same and your brain clicks all of a sudden. Bam! You just figured out circles and squares. Then later in school they'll start teaching you about hexagons and parallelograms, you'll get the Pythagorean Theorem drilled into your head until you have triangle nightmares and you'll be able to tell someone what a rhombus is without even looking it up. Of course, the day may come when you drift away from geometry and start forgetting what you once learned. How many sides are in a dodecagon anyway? And what was the difference between an isosceles triangle and an obtuse triangle? 

Lucky for you there are only so many shapes in the world at large so there are only so many options for a quiz like this, right? You know a circle when you see one. You know a rectangle like the back of your own hand! But do you know a great stellated dodecahedron? Let's find out!

Question 1 - Circle
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
Every point in this shape is an equal distance from its center. What is it?
Oval
Rhombus
Crescent
Circle
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A perfect circle is one in which everything is equidistant from one middle point. Some people will get technical and say you can never draw a perfect circle because the line weight of the ink or whatever you drew it with will be inconsistent and imperfect, but that's nitpicking.

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Question 2 - Octagon
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
Which of these describes the shape of a common stop sign?
Hexagon
Octagon
Parallelogram
Pentagon
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A stop sign and a UFC fighting ring both have the same shape of an octagon. It's an 8-sided polygon, hence the "octa" part of the name. The sum of all internal angles in any octagon is 1080 degrees while the external angles add up to 360.

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Question 3 - Acute
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
What do you call a triangle in which every angle is less than 90 degrees?
Obtuse
Right
Equilateral
Acute
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Al three angles must be less than 90 degrees for a triangle to be considered an acute triangle. It's a kind of oblique triangle and cannot be a right triangle because none of the angles are exactly 90 degrees.

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Question 4 - Pyramid
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
Which of these is a polyhedron?
Sphere
Pyramid
Rectangle
Crescent
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A pyramid is probably the most famous polyhedron shape thanks to the pyramids in Egypt. It has a polygon base and flat sides that meet at the apex or point on the top of the pyramid. The shape allows for very efficient weight distribution when it comes to building.

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Question 5 - Square
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
This is a quadrilateral with four even sides and angles. What is it?
Parallelogram
Rhomboid
Square
Trapezoid
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A perfect square has four sides of the same length and four even 90-degree angles. If the angles weren't even it could be slanted and become a parallelogram and if the sides aren't even but the angles are, then it's a rectangle.

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Question 6 - Obtuse
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
If a triangle has one angle greater than 90 degrees it's which of these?
Scalene
Isosceles
Kepler
Obtuse
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Acute refers to angles below 90 degrees while obtuse refers to those above. An obtuse triangle will still have two acute angles because mathematically that's the only possible way to join the shape with an obtuse angle.

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Question 7 - Hexagon
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
In what shape are the chambers in a honeycomb?
Oval
Sphere
Hexagon
Dodecahedron
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bees are crafty little creatures and they form their honeycombs in natural, six-sided hexagons. The shape also appears in nature in things like naturally forming basalt columns and in crystals like cinnabar and beryl.

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Question 8 - Cone
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
Which three-dimensional shape often has a circle base that tapers to a point?
Cone
Cylinder
Torus
Sphere
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Cones taper smoothly from a flat base to a single apex point. The structure is one that allows for strength and stability focused on the point. One of the most prominent cones you'll see in nature is in a storm like a tornado.

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Question 9 - Rhombus
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
Another name for which of these shapes is an equilateral quadrilateral?
Crescent
Icosagon
Cylinder
Rhombus
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A rhombus is a shape that has four sides all of the same length. In very simple terms what we commonly understand as a diamond shape, as in the suit from a deck of playing cards, is a rhombus.

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Question 10 - Scalene
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
If every side of the triangle is a different length then it's which of these?
Equilateral
Scalene
Kepler
Polygonal
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

All the measurements of a scalene triangle have to be different. No two sides share the same length, no two angles share the same number, either. A scalene could be a right triangle, but it doesn't have to be.

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Question 11 - polyhedron
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images/ Wikicommons by Uniform_polyhedron-33-s012.png: Tom Ruenderivative work: Rehua
A three-dimensional shape with flat polygon faces is called what?
Paralleogram
Dodecagon
Polyhedron
Tetrahedron
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When polygons meet the third dimension they become polyhedrons. A polyhedron has straight edges and sharp corners and comes from two Greek words "poly" meaning many and "hedron" meaning face.

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Question 12 - oval
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
Which of these shapes more or less resembles an egg?
Oval
Sphere
Cylinder
Prism
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You can play a little fast and loose with the rules of an oval as it's just any shape that tends to be egg-like. There are some more mathematical definitions of an oval when you start talking about things like a Cartesian oval or a Cassini oval.

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Question 13 - Triskaidecagon
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images/ Wikicommons by Arrenlex
What's the name of this unlucky polygon?
Triskaidecagon
Heptagon
Pentagon
Tetradecagon
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If triskaidecagon reminds you of the word triskaidecaphobia, it's because both of them are based on the number 13. Phobia is fear of the number 13 while a triskaidecagon is a polygon with 13 sides.

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Question 14 - Rectangle
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
Four straight but uneven sides and four right angles makes which of these shapes?
Prism
Rhombus
Rectangle
Torus
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A rectangle is one of the simplest shapes in geometry and one of the most useful. Boxes, bricks and planks of wood are generally all made in a rectangular shape so they've definitely proven their worth at least in terms of construction.

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Question 15 - Right
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
If a triangle has one 90-degree angle, then it's one of which of these?
Right
Kepler
Parallel
Obtuse
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

By definition a right angle is a 90-degree angle, so a right triangle is a triangle with one 90-degree angle. If the length of the sides are integers, then it also qualifies as a Pythagorean triangle as well.

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Question 16 - Torus
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images/ Wikicommons by GYassineMrabetTalk✉
A donut is usually made in which of these shapes?
Rhomboid
Icosagon
Trapezoid
Torus
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In technical terms you make a torus by "revolving a circle in three-dimensional space about an axis that is coplanar with the circle." In very simple terms it's a donut, or a three-dimensional ring. The plural is also tori, which is fun for anyone named Tori.

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Question 17 - Kite
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
Which of these is a quadrilateral but also a toy?
Sphere
Tetrahedron
Polygon
Kite
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A kite is a quadrilateral shape with two distinct pairs of sides that are of equal length and adjacent to each other. Put in other terms, you have a long triangle with the base against the base of a shorter triangle to make a kind of a skewed diamond. You can also call it a deltoid if you want.

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Question 18 - Hypercube
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images/ Wikicommons by Goffrie
If two-dimensional is a square and three-dimensional is a cube, what's in the fourth dimension?
Tetrahedron
Megacube
Hypercube
Dodecahedron
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A hypercube is what you call a four-dimensional shape analogous to a three-dimensional cube and a two-dimensional square. It's also known as a tesseract which you might remember from the "Avengers" movies. A cube has six square surfaces while a hypercube has eight cubed cells.

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Question 19 - Pentagon
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
The US Department of Defense made its headquarters in which shape?
Pentagon
Hexagon
Octagon
Polyform
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Pentagon is named for its five-sided shape, a pentagon. Though the shape does have an artificial quality to it, you can find it frequently in nature. For instance, if you cut a cross-section of okra it will be in a pentagon shape, and flowers like morning glories bloom in a pentagonal shape as well.

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Question 20 - Kepler
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images/ Wikicommons by xJaM / GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)
What's the name for a right triangle in which each side follows in a geometric progression where the common ratio is the root of the Golden Ratio?
Scalene
Pythagorean
Kepler
Eqyilateral
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The squares of the sides of a Kepler triangle are in geometric progression according to the Golden Ratio. What's the Golden Ratio? Tha's what happens when the ratio of two quantities is the same as the ratio of their sum to the larger of the two quantities.

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Question 21 - Parallelogram
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
They call a quadrilateral with two pairs of parallel sides what?
Equialteral
Hexagram
Parallelogram
Trapezoid
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It makes sense that a parallelogram is defined by parallel sides. The opposing sides are of equal length and it's officially a rhomboid. It can't have a right angle or it'd be either a square or a rectangle.

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Question 22 - Dodecahedron
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images/ Wikicommons by DTR
What's a polyhedron with 12 flat faces called?
Lozenge
Dodecahedron
Icosagon
Cyclic quadrilateral
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If a shape has 12 faces on it, it's a dodecahedron. They come in a few varieties but a regular dodecahedron has 12 faces, 20 vertices, 30 edges, and 160 diagonals. It's a pretty common shape for dice in games like "Dungeons and Dragons."

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Question 23 - Prism
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images/ Wikicommons by R. A. Nonenmacher
A polyhedron with two parallel bases or faces and all other faces being parallelograms is called what?
Megagon
Rhombus
Cylnder
Prism
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In a non-geometrical way, a prism is just a transparent piece of glass or plastic that can refract light. In geometry it's any polyhedron shape connected with an identical shape by parallelograms on the corresponding sides. The base can be any shape like a pentagon or a hexagon.

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Question 24 - Hendecagon
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
Canadian one dollar coins are in which of these shapes?
Tetrahedron
Nonagon
Hendecagon
Megagon
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A hendecagon is an 11-sided polygon that can sometimes go by the name undecagon or endecagon, though those aren't the best choices since they merge Greek and Latin. The internal angles of a hendecagon add up to 147 and 3/11 degrees in total.

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Question 25 - Isosceles
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
When two sides of a triangle are of equal length what is it called?
Scalene
Acute
Obtuse
Isosceles
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

At least two sides of an isosceles triangle have to be the same length but not all three sides. That said, all three sides could be and that would make it an equilateral triangle and technically a different shape altogether.

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Question 26 - Pentagram
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
Do you know what a five-pointed star is called?
Hexagram
Oxagram
Pentagram
Tetradecagon
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Pentagrams are sometimes called pentangles or pentalphas. They've been a popular shape throughout history used in ancient Sumerian cuneiform, Ancient Greece, Wicca symbolism and also associated with Satanism.

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Question 27 - Megagon
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
Which shape has one million sides?
Megagon
Decagon
Ultragon
Superhedron
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A megagon is the sort of shape you can't really draw and only exists in theory or computer models. With one million sides, if you were to draw one the size of the Earth itself it would still look like a perfect circle.

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Question 28 - Lozenge
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
You might also use this word to describe a cough drop. What is it?
Lozenge
Kite
Sphere
Ovoid
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A lozenge can be a straight synonym for a rhombus, which is what is often referred to as a diamond. But usually, to distinguish it from a rhombus, it refers to a thin kind of rhombus with two acute and two obtuse angles.

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Question 29 - Quadrilateral
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
Four edges and four corners define which of these shapes in Euclidean plane geometry?
Tetrahedron
Hexagon
Axis
Quadrilateral
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Quadrilateral is a very basic term for a four-sided shape which can include squares, rectangles, parallelograms, kites or other irregular shapes. As long as they have four sides they qualify for the label.

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Question 30 - Decagon
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
The internal angles in which of these shapes total 144 degrees?
Trapezoid
Decagon
Icosagon
Crescent
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A decagon is a ten-sided polygon which, in a pinch, you can call a 10-gon. It's not a shape that gets used for many things, though you can find dinner plates or mirrors that are made in decagonal shapes now and then.

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Question 31 - Cube
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images/ Wikicommons by Cube.svg: Image created by H McKenna based on source code by Marcelo Reis.derivative work: Cristianrodenas
A cardboard box with even sides is this shape. What is it?
Tetrahedron
Cylinder
Cube
Parallelogram
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A cube is a very simple shape, the three-dimensional representation of a square with six even and identical faces. As far as three-dimensional shapes go, it's one of the most commonly used for blocks, boxes and tons of other things. Even salt naturally forms in cubes.

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Question 32 - Icosagon
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
Which of these is also called a 20-gon?
Nonagon
Raspagon
Icosagon
Heptadecagon
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The 20-sided icosagon has internal angles that add up to 162 degrees. You may not have realized it but the Big Wheel on "The Price is Right" is an icosagon, meaning that geometry can really be worth something one day!

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Question 33 - Tetrahedron
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
Some people call which of these a triangular pyramid?
Tetrahedron
Rhomboid
Torus
Hexagon
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A pyramid with a triangular base is also known as a tetrahedron. It has four triangular faces and six straight edges. It's the simplest kind of convex polyhedron and the only one that has fewer than five faces.

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Question 34 - Sphere
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
A basketball is essentially which of these shapes?
Oval
Sphere
Circle
Cylinder
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A sphere is a three-dimensional representation of a circle. For a sphere to be perfect mathematically, every point on the surface has to be equidistant from the center. Planets and atoms are examples of spheres in nature.

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Question 35 - Crescent
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
Which shape very often represents the moon?
Cylinder
Crescent
Ovoid
Pentagram
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The crescent shows up a lot throughout history. Because of the way lunar cycles work, the crescent moon is the most prominent example but it's also used as a symbol for Islam and, very often, the shape croissants are baked in.

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Question 36 - Trapezoid
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
A quadrilateral with at least one pair of parallel sides is called what?
Pentangle
Prism
Lozenge
Trapezoid
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A trapezoid is what you call this shape in North America but the rest of the world knows it as a trapezium. The sides can't be of equal length or otherwise you'd have a square plus two sets of parallel sides.

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Question 37 - Equilateral
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
Every side of which kind of triangle is an equal length?
Oblique
Pythagorean
Equilateral
Isosceles
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

All three sides of an equilateral triangle are of the same length. That in turn means that all the angles are equal at 60 degrees each. You can call this a regular triangle as well, and like many shapes it's a polygon.

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Question 38 - Great stellated dodecahedron
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images/ Wikicommons by Arthur Baelde
Twelve intersecting pentagrammic faces make what shape?
Convex regular dodecahedron
Triakis icosahedron
Great stellated dodecahedron
Kleetope
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Most people will never run across a great stellated dodecahedron. Much the same as a square is analogous to a cube and a circle is analogous to a sphere, a pentagram is analogous to the great stellated dodecahedron.

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Question 39 - Cylinder
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
Cans are often made in which shape?
Cylinder
Sphere
Cube
Cone
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A cylinder is a pretty handy shape for holding things like Pepsi or beans, which is why so many cans are made as cylinders. It is essentially a circular prism. Cans are made in that shape because a cylinder is one of the most structurally sound shapes that exist.

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Question 40 - Apeirogon
Yuichiro Chino/ Moment/ Getty Images
Do you know what you'd call a polygon with infinite sides?
Infinigon
N-gon
Apeirogon
Gonagon
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This is one of those weird theoretical shapes that you're certainly never doodling on a napkin. It's still different from a circle which would have an infinite number of points that aren't necessarily sides, like what an apeirogon would have.

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You Got:
/40
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