Optical illusions are one of the world's most mind-boggling things ever and we just can't seem to get enough.

From the iconic blue-gold dress fiasco, all the way down to Yanny and Laurel, the internet seems to be obsessed with debating trivial coincidences and bizarre phenomenons. And this latest optical illusion has stirred up quite a heated discussion online as people try to ascertain how many girls are in this one particular photo.

The image was taken by Swiss photographer Tiziana Vergari and originally shared on Instagram back in 2016 as part of a weekend hashtag project.

But soon after, it started garnering attention because people couldn't quite figure out how Vergari managed to capture such an amazingly confusing shot.

Guesses flooded in with numbers ranging from two, all the way to 14 - I mean, they can't both possibly be right, can they?

The photograph was later shared to Reddit too, and again, social media users took a stab at trying to figure it out.

I thought it could be two sets of twins facing each other with a mirror reflecting the image, which would mean that there were four girls, right? Well, I, along with thousands of other hopeful guessers, was wrong.

In the end, it was confirmed by the artist himself, that there were only two girls in the picture, both being his daughters. It was said that the lighting and mirrors gave the image a depth that made it seem like there could possibly be more girls than there were.

As per Simplemost, the viral post went on to be nominated for Instagram Photo of the Year before actually winning the honor.

"There are over 600 million Instagram users, and the number of images posted to the app is almost endless, so narrowing them down is no small feat," read a description for the panel that selects the winner. "But our nominees for the Instagram Photo of the Year are those indelible images that you can’t forget once you see them, tapping into the spirit of a moment in a way others do not.

"They are, simply, the best."

So it's no wonder Vergari's confusing but interesting snapshot managed to snatch the award - considering all the havoc it caused on the platform.

Featured Image Credit: Chris Mellor / Alamy

A simply optical illusion has gone viral on social media after people kept reporting seeing different results.

If there's one thing that people on social media love, it's seeing things completely different from other people. And I'm not talking political stances or social mandates - I'm talking more, "I think that dress is white and gold, not blue and black!"

Well, nearly seven years after 'The Dress' took over our newsfeeds, there's a new optical illusion captivating the minds of social media users - and this time, it's all about numbers.

Shared to Twitter by user @benonwine, he shared a simple monochrome image along with the questions: "DO you see a number? If so what number?"

The image shows a swirling black zig-zag pattern - but if you look closely, some of you may be able to make out some numbers.

As is the case with these things, people were quick to share their answers - but not everybody was on the same page.

One Twitter user replied: "I can only see 528. Does that mean anything about my eyesight?"

A second added: "45283? Can't make out extreme left or right?"

However a third argued that they could only see "15283" - which baffled me, as I can't see a "1" in there.

Other Twitter users believed they had the correct answer - with significantly more digits than the previous guesses:

Providing an explanation to the illusion and people's different answers, one person tweeted: "I'm guessing the numbers you see depends on your 'contrast sensitivity' (different from what a standard eye measures).It can be tested by opticians. Worth doing if you're struggling, as it can affect your ability to see at night, or in rain, fog, etc."

Per the Vision Center, "contrast sensitivity is the ability to distinguish between an object and the background behind it."

It adds: "Contrast sensitivity is different from visual acuity, which measures how clear your vision is at a given distance."

Opticians can test your contrast sensitivity using a simple test, such as the one below:

The Vision Center explains that an individual "can have excellent visual acuity, but reduced contrast sensitivity and vice versa".

Now, me personally, I can make out seven digits: 3452839 - but let me know what you see in the comments section.

Featured image credit: Vitalii Nykolyshyn / Alamy

Another day, another instance of people on social media not being able to agree on something.

This time, a simple optical illusion has gone viral after people kept seeing different results.

Yes, if there's one thing that people on social media love, it's disagreeing. And I'm not talking political stances or social mandates - I'm talking more, "I think that dress is white and gold, not blue and black!"

Well, eight years after 'The Dress' took over our newsfeeds, there's another optical illusion messing with the minds of social media users - and this time, it's all about numbers.

Shared to X (formerly known as Twitter) by user @benonwine, they shared a simple monochrome image along with the questions: "DO you see a number? If so what number?"

The eye-catching image shows a swirling black and gray zig-zag pattern - but if you look closely, some of you may be able to make out some numbers. Check it out below and see what you can make out:

As is the case with these things, people were quick to share their answers - but not everybody was on the same page.

One X user replied: "I can only see 528. Does that mean anything about my eyesight?"

A second added: "45283? Can't make out extreme left or right?"

However a third argued that they could only see "15283" - which baffled me, as I can't see a "1" in there.

Other Twitter users believed they had the correct answer - with significantly more digits than the previous guesses:

Yes, "3452839" - which is a significantly longer number than what a lot of people could see.

Providing an explanation to the illusion and people's different answers, one person tweeted: "I'm guessing the numbers you see depends on your 'contrast sensitivity' (different from what a standard eye measures).It can be tested by opticians. Worth doing if you're struggling, as it can affect your ability to see at night, or in rain, fog, etc."

Per the Vision Center, "contrast sensitivity is the ability to distinguish between an object and the background behind it."

It adds: "Contrast sensitivity is different from visual acuity, which measures how clear your vision is at a given distance."

Opticians can test your contrast sensitivity using a simple test, such as the one below:

The Vision Center explains that an individual "can have excellent visual acuity, but reduced contrast sensitivity and vice versa".

Now, personally, I can make out seven digits: 3452839 - but let me know what you see in the comments section.

Featured image credit: ShotPrime / Getty / Twitter

Earlier this month, everyone with more than two minutes to kill on the internet found themselves getting dragged into the great Yanny/Laurel debate of 2018. An audio clip was posted to Twitter with the caption, "What do you hear?" and - within a matter of hours - the world went into meltdown.

Since then, the man behind the clip came forward to explain what he really said (and why he was creepily reciting words in the first place), and the internet was at peace once again...

Until now.

Yes, as soon as one illusion door closes, another one opens - and this one comes in the form of two people sharing a friendly hug in an office space. At first, nothing appears to be out of the ordinary, but then - as your eyes drift across the image from top to bottom - you'll notice something a little unusual.

Namely: is that dude wearing heels?

Now, first of all, let's clarify that guys can totally wear heels if they want (especially if they make their legs look as good as the pair in the picture - love the cropped white jeans), but that's not what's going on in this picture.

Look at the snap again, but this time start with the woman's hair and move to the right; then it becomes obvious that she is the one wearing the heels. Meanwhile, the guy is wearing a purple checked shirt, and must be fairly tall, as the woman is concealing a large portion of his left arm and shoulder as she bends over him.

Here's a handy little doodle in case you're still struggling to wrap your head around it:

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/joeyflaco1/status/1000837642240524289]]

However, some people are in denial about the solution, and are claiming for certain that the guy is standing and the girl is in the chair.

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/HippieSoulful/status/1000564532832546816]]

But that's just the start of it.

Once that photo had done the rounds, other people began responding with their own optical illusions - each one more baffling than the last.

There's this one, which looks like a snapshot of the moment some poor girl had her neck broken:

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/madi_altman/status/1000412764639301632]]

This one, which makes it appear as if this guy in the pool has a headless baby growing out of his back:

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/BADBICH_B/status/1000218446888624129]]

And this one, which is perhaps the most META thing on the internet right now:

[[instagramwidget||https://twitter.com/CindyLemoine/status/1000563225006690304]]

As confusing as optical illusions may be, they are - in the simplest terms - a brainfart, basically. When your eyes perceive something that doesn't quite make sense, your brain will attempt to take a shortcut in order to get to the bottom of what you're really seeing and, unfortunately, it often makes mistakes.

If you enjoyed these instances of photographic trickery, check out this mind-bending illusion of a straight road, or this seemingly impossible snap of a girl with ridiculously skinny legs...

A mom has left Reddit users scratching their heads after posting a snap of her daughter "sinking into the ground".

Reddit user MK24ever took to the social media website to share the impressive optical illusion earlier this month that left people at odds with what can be seen.

She posted the baffling picture to Reddit with the caption: "My daughter, where's the rest of her?? Ohh I see, do you?"

The picture features a young girl playing on a driveway... but the bottom half of her body appears to be completely missing.

The confusing snap did not go unnoticed as it already received more than 69,000 upvotes at the time of writing.

Reacting to the baffling snap, one Reddit user simply wrote: "That's a good one."

A second commented explaining that the caption made the illusion all the more confusing, writing: "Part of the reason it's so good is that the title implies that there's a 'rest of her' to be seen, so we're not expecting half of her body to be completely concealed, we're expecting her to blend in."

A fourth Reddit user reacted to the picture with a simple "WTF" before a fifth suggested that the optical illusion is created by the young girl being behind a wall.

Meanwhile, a fifth Reddit user admitted that they had to come to the comments section to work out exactly what was going on in the picture.

Another baffled social media user wrote: "Everyone who saw it just keeps saying 'there's a wall' instead of saying that the entire foreground is like an elevated plateau and she is standing behind it. I kept looking for a wall between the grass and the girl and it was melting my brain."

Another Reddit user went on to explain that the camera angle is also playing a role in creating the illusion.

However, not everyone on the social media website believed that it was the result of the girl standing behind a wall.

One joked: "People are saying there is a wall she is standing behind but I don't see it. I think this poor kid is trapped in some kind of Manhattan project accident."

All of which ultimately begs the question, what do you think is going on in this optical illusion? Let us know in the comments.

Featured image credit: Alamy / Donisl

Apple has explained a bizarre image that circulated online that appeared to show a "glitch in the matrix" as a woman tried on her wedding dress.

In case you missed it, writer and comedian Tessa Coates recently shared a wedding dress photo that has sparked internet bewilderment and left many scratching their heads.

Tessa took to Instagram to reveal the perplexing photo, capturing a moment in a bridal shop that defies reality.

While trying on her wedding dress, Tessa found herself standing between two mirrors, creating an astonishing visual effect.

In the photograph, Tessa's hands appear in three different positions simultaneously between the mirrors and her actual location, creating a baffling optical illusion. In her caption, she clarified: "This is a real photo, not photoshopped, not a panorama, not a Live Photo. If you can't see the problem, please keep looking, and then you won't be able to unsee it."

Tessa described her experience as a "glitch in the Matrix" and admitted that it nearly made her feel physically ill and wanting to vomit in the street.

The image's surreal nature left many social media users divided between congratulating her on her engagement and jokingly advising her to flee.

"This is so weird I can’t stop zooming in trying to find a glitch," one person commented.

Another asked: "3 different dimensions?! What is going on?!???"

As the viral image continued to baffle the internet, Tessa provided a follow-up on her Instagram Stories to unravel the mystery.

The comedian explained that she had visited the bridal shop solo, sharing some photos with her sister, who noticed the uncanny difference between the three versions of Tessa. The eerie picture left the comedian in shock, and she even fell to her hands and knees in horror.

Intrigued by this peculiar phenomenon, Tessa sought answers from an Apple employee at her local Apple Store, but this just added to the stress.

"As I'm waiting on the ground floor, I show the guys in the blue shirts (who aren't the Geniuses), I show them the picture and I really thought the moment I showed any of the people in the shop, they'd be like, 'Ah yeah, weird but I know what this is.' Instead they lost their minds," she recalled on her Instagram story.

After a queue of 20 people eagerly crowded around to see the photo, an employee called Roger came to the rescue.

"[I] finally get upstairs to the Geniuses and it takes three Geniuses, and each Genius is more scared than the last," Tessa went on. "Finally Roger is found, and Roger comes up from the basement and he's obviously the Grand High Wizard.

"He looked at it and he's like: 'Okay... I've never seen it this bad or this scary, but what happens is an iPhone is not a camera - it is a computer. So, when an iPhone takes a photo, it takes a series of burst images very quickly even though it's not a live photo, it's not a pano, it's not a burst.'"

Further describing what Roger said, she went on: "'It takes a series of images from left to right, and what it's done, in the exact moment that it crossed behind your back, you raised your arms in that half a split second.

"Then it's created a completely different image on the other side. It's made an AI decision to stitch those two photos together.'"

He also described it as a "one in a million chance".

Everyone can calm down now because Roger has come to the rescue.

Featured image credit: Cherdchanok Treevanchai/Getty