THE COMPLETE RULES
How to play Size It Up
Size It Up is a daily size guessing game: five rounds, one mystery object per round, one question — how big is it, really? This page covers the rules, exactly how scoring works, the difference between the modes, and the habits that separate a 300 from a 450.
The rules, round by round
- Read the reference
Every round shows a navy reference silhouette drawn at true scale and labelled with its real size — a laptop, a family sedan, the Statue of Liberty. The card in the top-left corner tells you what it is and which axis is measured.
- Check the axis
Rounds measure height, length or wingspan, never area. The mystery object's chip says which one, so decide whether you are picturing how tall or how long the object is before you start dragging.
- Resize the mystery object
Drag anywhere on the board, pull the diagonal handle on the coral silhouette, tap the − and + buttons under the reference, or use the arrow keys (Shift for bigger steps). In Guided mode the live size and a calibrated ruler update as you go.
- Lock in
Press Lock In (or Enter). The true outline lands over your guess, the ruler shows both sizes, and the round is scored from 0 to 100. The reveal includes a comparison fact and a link to the measurement's source.
- Finish five rounds
Five rounds make a puzzle, scored out of 500. In the daily challenge your best run is ranked against everyone who played that date; practice sets in Unlimited are for training only.
How scoring works
Each round is scored on the ratio between your guess and the true size, so the scale of the object never matters — a 10% miss on a coffee mug and a 10% miss on the Burj Khalifa cost the same. The curve is symmetric in proportion: guessing double the real size and guessing half of it both score about 30. Landing within 5% earns 90 or more, within 20% roughly 70, and a guess that is four times off scores close to 10. Five rounds add up to a total out of 500, which maps to four grades: Curious Rookie, Scale Scout (280+), Master Estimator (380+) and Scale Legend (460+).
Daily rankings sort by total score, then by the time spent actively sizing, then by who finished first. Only your best run for a date counts, and the clock starts at your first drag, not when the page loads.
Modes and formats
- Daily — the same five Mixed-category comparisons for everyone on that calendar date, with a leaderboard. This is the puzzle that builds your streak.
- Unlimited — endless practice sets in any category, including anime, games and pop culture once those sets are published. Practice never appears on the board.
- Guided vs Expert — Guided shows the ruler labels and the live size of your guess; Expert hides both for a pure eye test. Scoring is identical.
- Solo vs Duo — Duo (Unlimited only) puts two mystery objects beside one reference. Tap an object or press Tab to switch, size both, lock in once; the round scores their average.
Five tips that actually raise your score
- Anchor on the reference, not on the object
Ask 'how many of the reference fit into the mystery object?' rather than 'how big is the object?'. Proportion is what is scored, and counting references is far more reliable than recalling absolute numbers.
- Big things are bigger than you think
Almost everyone compresses anything larger than a house. If the mystery object is a ship, a rocket or a skyscraper, push your first instinct 20–30% larger and you will usually land closer.
- Small, familiar things are smaller than you think
The opposite habit applies to insects, phones and food: you see them close up, so you inflate them. When a wingspan sits next to a hand-sized reference, shrink your first guess.
- Use the ruler as a sanity check, not a crutch
In Guided mode glance at the live number after you have sized by eye. If it feels wrong, trust the feeling once; your visual estimate is what the game is training. Switch to Expert when the ruler starts doing the work for you.
- Play the archive
Past puzzles are free to replay and never affect your streak. Ten archived days is the fastest way to learn the dozen objects that show up most often as references.
Frequently asked questions
How is a Size It Up round scored?
Each round is worth up to 100 points. The score falls off smoothly with the ratio between your guess and the true size, so guessing 10% too large costs about the same as guessing 10% too small, and a guess that is double or half the real size scores roughly 30. Five rounds add up to a maximum of 500.
What is the difference between Guided and Expert?
Guided shows the calibrated ruler with numbers and the live size of your guess while you drag. Expert hides both, so you are comparing purely by eye against the reference silhouette. Both modes are scored the same way.
What do I do in Duo format?
Duo is an Unlimited-only format that puts two mystery objects beside one reference. Tap an object or press Tab to choose which one you are resizing, size both, then lock in once. The round scores the average of the two guesses.
Does the daily leaderboard use my score, my time or both?
Both, in that order. Runs are ranked by total score first, then by the time you spent actively sizing, then by who finished first. Only your best run for a date counts, and Unlimited practice never appears on the board.