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How to Solve a Puzzle Ball Download Article Co-authored by Christopher M. Osborne, PhD Reviewed by Ashton Wu
Last Updated: June 5, 2025 Fact Checked
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Identifying the Pieces
|
Putting the Ball Together
|
Taking the Puzzle Apart
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Video
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This article was reviewed by Ashton Wu and by wikiHow staff writer, Christopher M. Osborne, PhD. Ashton Wu is a Board Game expert at Shelfside. After delving into the Yugioh tournament community while growing up, Ashton launched himself into the board gaming community in 2014 and went into reviewing board games as a career full-time in 2019. His YouTube channel Shelfside has over 53K subscribers and over 4 million views, assisted by written reviews on the Shelfside website and BoardGameGeek.com. He also consults with gaming companies to build high-quality gaming products. Ashton is a tournament commentator, board game playthrough director, and host of the Shelfside Podcast, where he talks about board games with his business partner, Daniel. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in addition to the Technology Management Certificate. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 304,478 times.
A puzzle ball looks easy enough to solve, but the pieces are surprisingly tricky to put together. Fortunately, most 6-piece puzzle balls—such as the IQ Puzzle Ball—use the same 6 puzzle shapes (though the colors vary). So, once you read our step-by-step instructions below, you’ll be able to solve pretty much any 6-piece puzzle ball like a pro! (Note: If the puzzle ball is already put together, start with Part 3 to learn how to take it apart.)
Steps
Part 1 Part 1 of 3:
Identifying the Pieces
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1 Piece A: This piece looks like an open umbrella that’s been cut in half lengthwise. It has three notches cut out of the umbrella’s half-canopy on top. Compared to the other umbrella-like piece (Piece C), this one has a thicker umbrella handle.[1]XResearch source
2 Piece B: If you hold this piece vertically, with the larger rounded side pointing up, it looks kind of like either a number “3” or a capital letter “E”. Advertisement
3 Piece C: This is the other piece (along with Piece A) that looks like an umbrella cut in half lengthwise. Compared to Piece A, this one has two notches instead of three cut out of the half-canopy. It also has a thinner overall handle with more of a hook shape at the bottom.
4 Pieces D and E: These pieces look very similar—they both have a rounded dome-like shape with a square cutout that goes all the way through the dome. Here’s how to tell them apart:
Piece D has a notch that goes two-thirds of the way across the piece on the front side below the square cutout, and two uneven (asymmetrical) bump-outs on the back side below the square cutout.
Piece E has a notch that goes all away across the piece on the front side below the square cutout, and two even (symmetrical) bump-outs to either side of the square cutout on the back side
5 Piece F: You’ll know which one this is because it’s the only piece left! Also, it looks like a number “1” if you hold it vertically with the larger curved side pointed up and to the left.
Advertisement Part 2 Part 2 of 3:
Putting the Ball Together
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1 Connect Piece A and Piece B. Hold Piece B so it looks like a capital letter “E” with the larger curved side facing up. Turn Piece A on its side so the umbrella shape is horizontal with the canopy to the left, the handle to the right, and the larger parts of both the canopy and handle pointing downward. You’ll see a notch in Piece A that almost looks like a lowercase letter “t”—slide Piece B into this notch.
2 Attach Piece C to Pieces A and B. Turn Piece C so the top of the umbrella canopy is pointed toward you, with the flat side (and two notches) facing down and the rounded side facing up. Slide the umbrella stem of Piece C into the long notch near the top of the A/B combination until the domed tops of all three pieces line up.[2]XResearch source
3 Fit Piece D onto Piece A. Find the bottom of the umbrella handle of Piece A. Point it straight toward you so it looks like a square. Position Piece D so its square cutout lines up with Piece A’s square protrusion, as well as the notches created by the other pieces. Slide Piece D into place so that the bottom of Piece A is flush (even) with the curved dome of Piece D.[3]XResearch source
The puzzle should look like about three-fourths of a completed ball (sphere) now—just two pieces to go!
4 Slide Piece E into place. At this point, you should be able to clearly visualize where Piece E (one-fourth of a sphere) fits into the nearly-completed ball (three-fourths of a sphere). Line up the bump-outs on the back of Piece E with the notches created by the other assembled pieces, then slide Piece E down until it locks into place.[4]XResearch source
5 Slip Piece F into the opening through the sphere. One side of the opening that goes through the center of the ball is bigger than the other—hold the ball so you’re looking at that side. Feed the smaller end of Piece F into this larger opening and keep sliding it until it fits into place and completes the sphere.
Now you can take a moment to congratulate yourself for solving the puzzle!
Advertisement Part 3 Part 3 of 3:
Taking the Puzzle Apart
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1 Find the square on the sphere that will push inward. There are four squares visible on the ball, but only one of them will push inward when you press on it. When you find that one, press it all the way in until the piece pops out the other side.
This is Piece F.
2 Stick your finger into the square opening you just made. This should be the opening where you pushed on Piece F, not the opening where it popped out. Press against the inner walls of the square opening until the piece that surrounds it on three sides slides free and out of place.
This is Piece E.
3 Press on the remaining squares on the sphere’s surface. There are three left, but (like before) only one of them will push inward when you press on it. Keep pressing on it until two pieces come free.
These are Pieces B and C.
4 Separate the last two pieces. Here again, press on the square you can see—this time it’s the only one remaining. This will detach the final two pieces of the puzzle—Pieces A and D.
What to do now? Try timing yourself to see how fast you can put the puzzle back together. Or give the pieces to a friend and let them try to solve the puzzle!
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References
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↑ https://youtu.be/ab68Uud_m7s?t=80
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↑ https://youtu.be/ab68Uud_m7s?t=130
About This Article
Reviewed by: Ashton Wu Board Game Expert This article was reviewed by Ashton Wu and by wikiHow staff writer, Christopher M. Osborne, PhD. Ashton Wu is a Board Game expert at Shelfside. After delving into the Yugioh tournament community while growing up, Ashton launched himself into the board gaming community in 2014 and went into reviewing board games as a career full-time in 2019. His YouTube channel Shelfside has over 53K subscribers and over 4 million views, assisted by written reviews on the Shelfside website and BoardGameGeek.com. He also consults with gaming companies to build high-quality gaming products. Ashton is a tournament commentator, board game playthrough director, and host of the Shelfside Podcast, where he talks about board games with his business partner, Daniel. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in addition to the Technology Management Certificate. This article has been viewed 304,478 times. 123 votes - 63% Co-authors: 8Updated: June 5, 2025 Views: 304,478 Categories: Featured Articles | Puzzles and Memory Games In other languages Portuguese Spanish Czech Japanese
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Reader Success Stories
Anonymous
Nov 17, 2025
"I just couldn't solve the puzzle until I read this article, and it helped me win a bet."
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Yes No Advertisement Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Reviewed by: Ashton Wu Board Game Expert 123 votes - 63% Click a star to vote Co-authors: 8Updated: June 5, 2025 Views: 304,478
Anonymous
Nov 17, 2025
"I just couldn't solve the puzzle until I read this article, and it helped me win a bet."
Luke C.
Feb 26, 2024
"So I took apart the ball yesterday then I tried and tried. Then I found this app and it helped me a lot. Thanks!!!"
Ashleigh
Nov 10, 2022
"I finally put my ball together. It is missing 2 pieces but it is together!" Share yours! More success stories Hide success stories
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Download Article Co-authored by Christopher M. Osborne, PhD Reviewed by Ashton Wu 
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Reviewed by: Ashton Wu Board Game Expert This article was reviewed by Ashton Wu and by wikiHow staff writer, Christopher M. Osborne, PhD. Ashton Wu is a Board Game expert at Shelfside. After delving into the Yugioh tournament community while growing up, Ashton launched himself into the board gaming community in 2014 and went into reviewing board games as a career full-time in 2019. His YouTube channel Shelfside has over 53K subscribers and over 4 million views, assisted by written reviews on the Shelfside website and BoardGameGeek.com. He also consults with gaming companies to build high-quality gaming products. Ashton is a tournament commentator, board game playthrough director, and host of the Shelfside Podcast, where he talks about board games with his business partner, Daniel. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in addition to the Technology Management Certificate. This article has been viewed 304,478 times. 123 votes - 63% Co-authors: 8 Updated: June 5, 2025 Views: 304,478 Categories: Featured Articles | Puzzles and Memory Games In other languages Portuguese Spanish Czech Japanese 
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419 
1 Piece A: This piece looks like an open umbrella that’s been cut in half lengthwise. It has three notches cut out of the umbrella’s half-canopy on top. Compared to the other umbrella-like piece (Piece C), this one has a thicker umbrella handle.[1] 
2 Piece B: If you hold this piece vertically, with the larger rounded side pointing up, it looks kind of like either a number “3” or a capital letter “E”. Advertisement 
3 Piece C: This is the other piece (along with Piece A) that looks like an umbrella cut in half lengthwise. Compared to Piece A, this one has two notches instead of three cut out of the half-canopy. It also has a thinner overall handle with more of a hook shape at the bottom. 
4 Pieces D and E: These pieces look very similar—they both have a rounded dome-like shape with a square cutout that goes all the way through the dome. Here’s how to tell them apart: 
5 Piece F: You’ll know which one this is because it’s the only piece left! Also, it looks like a number “1” if you hold it vertically with the larger curved side pointed up and to the left. Advertisement 
1 Connect Piece A and Piece B. Hold Piece B so it looks like a capital letter “E” with the larger curved side facing up. Turn Piece A on its side so the umbrella shape is horizontal with the canopy to the left, the handle to the right, and the larger parts of both the canopy and handle pointing downward. You’ll see a notch in Piece A that almost looks like a lowercase letter “t”—slide Piece B into this notch. 
2 Attach Piece C to Pieces A and B. Turn Piece C so the top of the umbrella canopy is pointed toward you, with the flat side (and two notches) facing down and the rounded side facing up. Slide the umbrella stem of Piece C into the long notch near the top of the A/B combination until the domed tops of all three pieces line up.[2] 
3 Fit Piece D onto Piece A. Find the bottom of the umbrella handle of Piece A. Point it straight toward you so it looks like a square. Position Piece D so its square cutout lines up with Piece A’s square protrusion, as well as the notches created by the other pieces. Slide Piece D into place so that the bottom of Piece A is flush (even) with the curved dome of Piece D.[3] 
4 Slide Piece E into place. At this point, you should be able to clearly visualize where Piece E (one-fourth of a sphere) fits into the nearly-completed ball (three-fourths of a sphere). Line up the bump-outs on the back of Piece E with the notches created by the other assembled pieces, then slide Piece E down until it locks into place.[4] 
5 Slip Piece F into the opening through the sphere. One side of the opening that goes through the center of the ball is bigger than the other—hold the ball so you’re looking at that side. Feed the smaller end of Piece F into this larger opening and keep sliding it until it fits into place and completes the sphere. 
1 Find the square on the sphere that will push inward. There are four squares visible on the ball, but only one of them will push inward when you press on it. When you find that one, press it all the way in until the piece pops out the other side. 
2 Stick your finger into the square opening you just made. This should be the opening where you pushed on Piece F, not the opening where it popped out. Press against the inner walls of the square opening until the piece that surrounds it on three sides slides free and out of place. 
3 Press on the remaining squares on the sphere’s surface. There are three left, but (like before) only one of them will push inward when you press on it. Keep pressing on it until two pieces come free. 
4 Separate the last two pieces. Here again, press on the square you can see—this time it’s the only one remaining. This will detach the final two pieces of the puzzle—Pieces A and D.