Science trivia
Name an invention
Everyone has a first answer to “Name an invention”. The game is about the second, the third and the tenth: 132 answers are accepted, ranked by how rarely people think of them.
The obvious answers
Say one of these and you stay near the surface, with 10 points.
- Wheel
- Telephone
- Internet
- Light bulb
- Computer
The next answers people reach for
A step further down, worth 25 points each:
- Printing press
- Television
- Radio
- Aeroplane
- Car
- Steam engine
- Smartphone
- Camera
- Compass
- Gunpowder
- Paper
- Telescope
- Microscope
- Vaccine
- Penicillin
- Refrigerator
- Clock
- Bicycle
- Train
How deep does “Name an invention” go?
| Level | Accepted answers | Points |
|---|---|---|
| The Tip | 5 | 10 |
| Below the Surface | 19 | 25 |
| The Deep | 51 | 50 |
| The Abyss | 56 | 85 |
| Below the Iceberg | 1 | 100 |
The Deep holds 51 answers starting with A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, L, M, N, P, R, S, T, U, V, W, X and Z. The Abyss has 56 more, and one legendary answer waits below them all.
By the numbers
- 132 answers in total, 52 of them longer than one word.
- Shortest: “ATM”. Longest: “Antikythera mechanism”.
- T, C and S are the most common first letters; together they start 33% of the answers.
- 24 answers can be typed more than one way: “Zip” counts as Zipper.
Tips for a rarer answer
- Start with T: 15 of the answers begin with it.
- Wheel, Telephone and Internet are safe but shallow. Aim past them.
- Count the small ones: tiny bones, minor moons and lesser-known particles are rare answers.
Play science trivia nowSee all 132 answers A–Z
Questions about this prompt
- What do most people say for “Name an invention”?
- The usual first answers are Wheel, Telephone, Internet, Light bulb and Computer. In Icillion they are worth 10 points each, the least of any level.
- How many answers are there to “Name an invention”?
- 132 in all: 5 on The Tip, 19 Below the Surface, 51 in The Deep, 56 in The Abyss, and a single legendary answer Below the Iceberg.
- Which answers to “Name an invention” are the shortest and the longest?
- The shortest accepted answer is “ATM” and the longest is “Antikythera mechanism”.
- How hard is “Name an invention”?
- Easy. Nearly everyone can name something here, so prompts like this one can appear in the daily iceberg.
Try another science prompt
- Name a geometric shape
- Name a law or principle in physics
- Name a particle in physics
- Name a nebula
- Name a galaxy
- Name a household appliance
Something different: Name a French dish · Name a text editor or code editor · Name a type of boat or ship
How deep does your knowledge go?
Seven prompts a day, twenty seconds each. Obvious answers float on the tip of the iceberg; rare ones sink all the way to the trench.
▼ Start today’s iceberg ▼