Chart Detective: free game to spot misleading charts

What is Chart Detective?

Three charts, each used to make a claim. One of them misleads: a cut axis, an upside-down scale, uneven dates, a pie over 100 %, a running total sold as growth. Spot it before the clock runs out.

Chart Detective trains data literacy. Each case shows three charts and the claim each one is used for. Two are honest; one misleads with a classic trick: a bar axis that doesn't start at zero, an upside-down scale, dates squeezed together, a pie that adds up to 130 %, a running total sold as monthly growth, bars drawn taller than their numbers, or a scale whose ticks aren't evenly spaced.

After each case, the game names the trick and explains how to catch it, so you read the next dashboard, news chart or pitch deck with sharper eyes.

At a glance

Category

Skillz

Difficulty

Medium

Play time

4–6 min

Price

Free, in your browser, sign-up optional

How to play

Read

Three charts, each with the claim someone made with it.

Spot

Tap the chart that misleads. Only one does.

Race

Faster answers and streaks score more. A wrong pick costs a life.

Learn

Each case names the trick and how to catch it next time.

Strategy and tips

Check where the axis starts

Bars must start at zero; a cut axis turns small gaps into giant ones.

Read the axis direction

If 0 sits at the top, a rising line means the opposite.

Count the dates

Uneven intervals drawn at equal distances fake sudden jumps.

Totals only go up

A cumulative chart can't show whether growth is slowing.

Numbers beat pictures

When labels and bar heights disagree, trust the labels.

Why play Chart Detective?

Charts persuade faster than words, which is why they're misused so often. Spotting the classic tricks protects your decisions at work, in the news and in your own reports.

Frequently asked questions