Boy or girl? Ask the old wives.
Ten classic gender-prediction tales, two taps each. Gloriously unscientific, dangerously fun to send to the group chat.
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The bump tale
How are you carrying?
What the tales say — and what the science says
Every family has a version of this quiz. Carrying low means a boy; craving chocolate means a girl; a heart rate over 140 means start buying pink. They’re wonderful, they’re ancient, and they’re all — when researchers have actually checked — no better than chance. Bump shape follows your muscles and the baby’s position, not its sex. Cravings follow hormones and what’s in the fridge. And foetal heart rate is well above 140 for every baby early on, whoever they turn out to be.
So why play? Because guessing is the fun part. The nine months of “I just have a feeling” are half the joy of waiting — and a 50% hit rate means half your aunties get to say they knew all along.
Found out for real?
When the scan has spoken, don’t waste the answer on a text message. Put it under the foil of a digital scratch card instead — everyone who guessed on this page gets one link, rubs their own screen, and finds out with confetti. It’s the same idea as this quiz, except the answer is right. There are also ten more long-distance reveal games here.
Boy or girl quiz — questions people ask
🐰How accurate is a boy or girl quiz?
About as accurate as flipping a coin — roughly 50%. Old wives' tales like bump shape, cravings and foetal heart rate have all been studied, and none reliably predicts a baby's sex. This quiz is for fun; only a scan or genetic test can tell you for real.
🐰Which old wives' tales does the quiz use?
Ten classics: how you're carrying, cravings, foetal heart rate above or below 140bpm, morning sickness, skin and hair changes, sleep side, clumsiness, mood swings, and dream opposites. Each question tells you which tale it comes from.
🐰Is the heart rate tale true?
No — it's the most persistent tale of all, but studies have found no meaningful difference between boys' and girls' heart rates in the first trimester. Both sit well above 140bpm early on and slow as the pregnancy progresses.
🐰When can you actually find out the sex?
A blood test (NIPT) can tell you from around 10 weeks; the mid-pregnancy anomaly scan at about 20 weeks is when most parents find out. After that, the fun part is telling everyone — which is what the scratch cards here are for.
This quiz is folklore for fun, not medical advice or a diagnostic tool. For anything about your pregnancy, talk to your midwife or doctor.