Last week, dogs passed this test

Is it Bouba or Kiki?

These two shapes are called Bouba and Kiki. Almost everyone on Earth agrees on which is which, and a 2026 study found that dogs agree too. Trust your gut.

Which one is Kiki?

Take the full test ↓What shape is my name?

The Shape of Sound Test

How in tune is your brain?

You'll get made-up words and generated shapes, different every time. Pick the one that feels right, and pick fast. At the end we compare you with people, dogs and pure chance.

Keys: ←/1 left · →/2 right
Round 1 / 20

Your Shape-of-Sound score

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Human and dog figures are from published studies (see The Science). "In tune" means you picked what the sound-symbolism pattern predicts.

Review every round

    The effect in numbers

    95%of people pick the curvy shape as "bouba" (Ramachandran & Hubbard, 2001)
    70 dogstested at the University of Parma in the 2026 study
    25languages and 10 writing systems in the biggest cross-cultural test (917 people)
    1 dayold: the age of the youngest chicks that showed the effect (2026)
    4 monthsold: human babies already share the adult bias
    1924the year Dimitri Uznadze ran the first experiment of this kind in Georgia

    Keep playing

    Name ShaperIs your name bouba or kiki? See its shape and compare it with a friend's. Sort Storm60 seconds, rising speed. Swipe each word or shape the right way. Sound ForgeType a word and watch it take shape, or build a creature and name it. The ScienceFrom 1924 to last week's dog study, plus a 12-question quiz.