How to play
- Today's rangoli is symmetrical in eight ways: left and right, top and bottom, and both diagonals.
- Four dots have been smudged. Each one is a wrong colour, a missing dot or an extra dot that its mirror twins don't have.
- Tap the four smudges. The clock is running and wrong taps are counted.
- Stuck? Hint lights up the eight places where one smudge is hiding.
Make a rangoli online
Switch to Make a rangoli, pick a colour and draw on the floor. Each dot you put down appears in all eight mirror positions, the way a real rangoli is laid out from the centre. Tap Save image to download it, then send it on WhatsApp, post it as your Diwali status or print it as a guide for the real thing on your doorstep.
Want a ready-made pattern? Browse 30 easy dot rangoli designs, each with step-by-step pictures and how many dots of each colour you need.
Rangoli and symmetry
A rangoli is a design drawn at the entrance of a home with coloured powder, rice, flowers or chalk, especially at Diwali, Pongal and Onam. In the south it is called a kolam or muggulu, and it is often drawn on a grid of dots, just like the floor here.
Most rangolis are a lesson in symmetry, a topic from Class 6 and 7 maths. The designs on this site have 4 lines of symmetry (across, down and two diagonals) and rotational symmetry of order 4, because a quarter turn gives the same picture. Spotting the smudges is really spotting where the symmetry breaks.
Questions
When does a new rangoli come out?
Every day at midnight in your time zone. Everyone gets the same rangoli, so you can compare times with friends.
What counts as a smudge?
A dot whose colour differs from its seven mirror twins, a gap where all its twins have a dot, or a dot where all its twins are empty. Smudges are never on the centre lines or diagonals.
Can I print my rangoli?
Yes. Save image gives you a square picture of your design that you can print or share.
Is it free?
Yes, with no sign-up. Your stats and your last design are saved on your device only.