Only 10% of people can spot the missing word in this tricky 1% Club riddle

A seemingly simple sentence has left The 1% Club contestants staring at the screen in confusion, with only 10 per cent of people managing to identify the missing three-letter word.

The challenge appears straightforward at first. Players are shown a sentence with one word missing and given a limited amount of time to work out what belongs in the blank.

But the trick is hidden in the way the sentence is written.

Can you find the missing word?

The quizmaster asks contestants to read the sentence carefully and then read it back before answering:

“Was it a *** or a cat I saw?”

With the clock ticking, contestants have to determine which three-letter word completes the sentence.

The question prompted plenty of puzzled expressions as players tried to work out what could possibly fit.

The answer, revealed once the time ran out, was “car.”

That gives the sentence:

“Was it a car or a cat I saw?”

The key is that the complete sentence reads the same backwards and forwards. In other words, it forms a palindrome.

That simple observation is what makes the question so difficult. Rather than looking for a word that merely makes sense in the sentence, contestants have to consider the sentence as a whole.

Another 1% Club question causes confusion

The word puzzle is not the only The 1% Club challenge to leave contestants scratching their heads.

In another episode of the show, hosted by Lee Mack, players were faced with a mathematical problem involving a bat and a ball.

The programme describes The 1% Club as a game show that tests the nation’s intelligence through questions based on a scientific survey. Rather than relying on traditional general knowledge, its challenges are designed around logic, reasoning and problem-solving.

Lee presented the mathematical puzzle:

“A bat and a ball cost £1.20 in total. The bat costs £1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?”

While the contestants worked on the problem, Lee joked that, “at the risk of sounding out of touch for a TV person,” the price sounded very cheap for a bat and ball.

When the time was up, Lee gave the answer as 5 pence, explaining that the bat would cost £1.05 while the ball would cost 5p.

However, there is an apparent numerical inconsistency in the version of the question reproduced in the original article: £1.05 plus 5p equals £1.10, not £1.20. The commonly circulated version of this puzzle uses a total of £1.10, in which case 5p is the correct answer.

@shambles_3 1% Club Australia 10% question. #1percentclub #onepercentclub #foryou #gameshow #brainteaser #riddle ♬ original sound – absolute shambles

Why so many people think the answer is 10p

The puzzle is designed to trigger an instinctive response.

At first glance, many people reason that if the bat and ball together cost £1.10 and the bat costs £1 more than the ball, the ball must cost 10p. But that would make the bat £1.10, taking the combined price to £1.20.

The correct calculation for the £1.10 version is:

• Ball: 5p
• Bat: £1.05
• Total: £1.10

The bat is therefore exactly £1 more expensive than the ball.

The question sparked plenty of debate when a clip was shared on TikTok by TriviaStat1on, an account that posts daily trivia questions.

Some viewers remained convinced that the answer should be 10p.

One person wrote that they had “got a headache trying to work this out,” while another said they could have the answer explained “1000 times” and still would not understand it.

Others responded with jokes rather than attempting the calculation. One commenter quipped that the answer depended on whether you got a carrier bag.

Another viewer offered a step-by-step explanation, suggesting that once the £1 difference is set aside, the remaining 10p should be split between the two items, leaving 5p for the ball.

Both puzzles demonstrate the same reason The 1% Club can be so frustrating. The questions often appear to invite an obvious answer, but solving them requires contestants to stop relying on their first instinct and examine the wording or logic more carefully.