Pie or Lie

Several charts claim to show the same numbers. Only one is honest — spot it, then name the deception each liar is using.

How to play

Every round presents a set of bar and pie charts built from one dataset. First click the chart that represents the data faithfully. Then, for each remaining chart, tag the specific trick it uses to mislead before you reveal the answers.

• Score for finding the honest chart and again for each deception you name correctly.
• Tricks include truncated baselines, misleading 3D tilt and skewed proportions.
• A run spans several rounds with a running total.

Controls

• Desktop: click a chart to call it honest, then use the drop-down on each liar to tag its flaw.
• Phone & tablet: tap to select and use the drop-downs — fully touch-friendly.

Game modes

• Daily: one shared set of rounds seeded by the date.
• Practice: fresh randomized rounds any time.

Tips & strategy

• Check where the y-axis starts before trusting any bar comparison.
• A tilted or 3D pie almost always exaggerates the front slice.

What you'll learn

Pie or Lie trains you to read graphs critically by spotting the ways a chart can deceive.

• Skills: data literacy, misleading graphs, critical reading of charts
• Best for: roughly grades 6–12 (ages 11+)
• For parents & teachers: spotting deceptive charts.

About Pie or Lie

Pie or Lie is a chart-deception spotting game that trains you to read graphs critically. It's an original free browser game built for PlayPendium.

A free, original browser game on PlayPendium — no download, no install. Browse all games →