Move exactly one matchstick to make the equation true. You may not remove a match or add a new one, and the equals sign stays as it is.
💡 Hint
Fixing one side alone is hopeless. Look for a single match that can leave a digit on the left and join a digit on the right, changing both sides at once.
Reveal answer
Move the upper-left match of the 9 to the upper-right of the 6. The equation becomes 3 + 5 = 8.
Step-by-step solution
- Start with 9 + 5 = 6. The left side is 14 and the right side is 6, so the gap is too big to fix by changing one side alone.
- Look at the 9. If you remove its upper-left vertical stick, the remaining sticks form a 3.
- Look at the 6. It is missing only its upper-right vertical stick to become an 8.
- Move that one stick from the 9 to the 6. The equation now reads 3 + 5 = 8, which is true.
- We tested every possible single-match move with a solver: this is the only one that produces a correct equation.
Why it fools people
Most people try to fix one number, usually the answer. This solution changes two numbers in opposite directions with a single move: the left side drops from 14 to 8 and the right side rises from 6 to 8. Our brains rarely look for a move that solves the problem from both ends at once, which is exactly why it is satisfying to find.
Did you get it?
About This Puzzle
Matchstick equations are a perfect coffee-break puzzle: a few sticks on a table, one wrong sum and a single move to fix it. The digits are built like the numbers on an old digital clock, with seven possible positions for each stick. That design means many digits are just one stick away from another digit, and spotting those near-neighbors is the whole game. This one looks simple, because nine plus five is a sum everybody knows. But the obvious ideas don’t work, and the one move that does is easy to overlook because it changes two numbers at once. There is exactly one solution.
How to Think About It
List what one match can do. You can take a match away from one symbol and add it to another, or move a match within a single digit. For each digit, ask two questions: what does it become if I remove one stick, and what does it become if I add one? A 9 with one stick removed can turn into two different digits. A 6 with one stick added can turn into one digit. Then check the operator: the plus sign can lose its upright stick and become a minus. Test the combinations against the arithmetic.
Common Traps
The first instinct is to fix the answer: 9 + 5 is 14, so people try to turn the 6 into 14, which needs far more than one match. The second instinct is to turn the plus into a minus. That gives 9 − 5 = 6, which is still wrong, and the spare stick has nowhere useful to go. Some solvers also turn the 5 into a 6 or a 9, but that only makes the left side bigger while the right side stays small.
Where This Puzzle Comes From
Matchstick puzzles have been a favorite of puzzle books and parlor games for generations, because all you need is a box of matches and a flat table. The digit style used here, with seven positions per number, matches the familiar digital displays on clocks and calculators. It’s an original equation in the classic “move one match” family, where the fun lies in seeing a familiar number as a handful of separate sticks.
Try This Variation
Here is a new equation:
Move exactly one match to make it true. The equals sign stays where it is. This time, the plus sign is involved, and so is a digit you might not expect to change.
Show the answer to the variation
Take the upright stick out of the plus sign, turning it into a minus, and add it to the upper-right of the 6 to make an 8. The equation becomes 8 − 3 = 5, which is true. Our solver confirms it is the only single-move solution.