At first glance, this simple picture of a T-shirt seems straightforward. The challenge asks: “How many holes are in this T-shirt?” The multiple-choice answers range from 2 to 8. Many people will rush to count the two visible tears and conclude that the answer is obvious. But is it really that simple? Let’s break it down.
The Visible Holes
There are clearly two rips drawn on the T-shirt’s body. These stand out immediately, and most people stop counting there. But that’s just the beginning.
The Built-in Holes
Every T-shirt comes with standard openings:
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The neck hole
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The right sleeve hole
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The left sleeve hole
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The bottom hem hole (where your body goes in)
These four are part of the shirt’s design. If you ignore them, you’re missing half the puzzle.
Adding It All Together
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2 rips (front and through to the back)
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4 normal T-shirt holes (neck, sleeves, bottom)
That gives us 6 holes in total.
But here’s the catch: when we see the rips, we can see right through them. That means they’re not just surface tears—they go all the way through both layers (front and back). So, depending on interpretation, some people may even argue for 8 holes.
The Trick of Perception
This puzzle is less about math and more about observation and interpretation. It tests how carefully you look at an object you see every day. Many overlook the “obvious” built-in parts of the shirt, proving how our brains tend to focus only on what’s unusual.
The Final Answer
Most puzzle solvers agree the correct answer is 6 holes—two tears plus the four natural shirt openings. But if you argued for 8 by counting each tear as passing through both sides, you wouldn’t exactly be wrong either.
✅ Lesson: Sometimes, the biggest trick isn’t in what’s hidden, but in what’s too familiar for us to notice.
