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Mixed Signals

A Stroop test color word game. Tap the ink, not the word. Then the rule flips.

PuzzleCasual

Mixed Signals is a color word game built on the Stroop test. A word like RED shows up printed in blue ink, and your job is to tap the ink, not the word. Your brain reads the word first, every time, and that split second is the whole game. Sixty seconds, four buttons, and one very persistent urge to tap the wrong one.

Then the rule flips. The border goes striped, the card says WORD, and for five answers you have to tap what the word says instead. Just when you finally got used to ignoring it. The flips come faster the longer you last.

Mixed Signals is part of Unrot, a series of twenty short games that each put one mental skill to the test: memory, attention, speed or logic. This one is the focus game. Twenty games. Zero brainrot.

How to play

  • A color word appears in a different ink color.
  • Tap the button for the ink: RED, BLUE, YELLOW or PINK. Ignore what the word says.
  • When the screen flashes and the border turns striped, the rule is WORD: tap what the word says. It flips back after five answers.
  • You have 60 seconds. A wrong tap costs 2 seconds.

Scoring

  • Every right answer is worth 10 points × your multiplier.
  • The multiplier climbs ×1 → ×4, one step for every five right answers in a row. A wrong tap resets it.
  • Play the Daily for one scored run on the same words as everyone else, and keep your Unrot streak alive.

Tips

  • Don’t read the word. Blur your eyes a little and look at the color of the letters.
  • Keep your fingers on the buttons. On a keyboard, D F J K sits right under your fingers.
  • When the rule flips, use the short pause to say the new rule in your head: “word, word, word”.
  • A clean streak is worth more than raw speed. At ×4, every answer is worth four slow ones.

FAQ

Is Mixed Signals free?

Yes. Mixed Signals is free to play in your browser on desktop and mobile, with no download and no account.

How does Mixed Signals work?

A color word like RED appears printed in a different ink, say blue. You tap the button for the ink color, not the word, as fast as you can for 60 seconds. It's a take on the classic Stroop test, and it's harder than it sounds.

What is the rule flip?

Every so often the screen flashes, the border turns striped and the rule becomes WORD: now you tap what the word says, not its ink. After five answers it flips back. The flips come more often as the run goes on, and the clock pauses for a beat on every flip so you can switch.

How does scoring work?

Each right answer is worth 10 points times your streak multiplier, which climbs from ×1 to ×4 with every five right answers in a row. A wrong tap resets the multiplier and takes 2 seconds off the clock.

Can I play if I'm color blind?

The four colors differ strongly in lightness as well as hue, and every button shows its color's name and its own pattern (solid, stripes, dots, zigzag). We checked the palette against simulations of the common kinds of color blindness.

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