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My first puzzle of this type. In the following visual design the hidden clues will lead you to the final verbal association. It is only one word.

enter image description here

Hint 1

It has no musical connections (just to prevent people from converging on this otherwise creative path)

Hint 2

If you'd allow me to modify the image to show irrelevant changes. It doesn't change the reasoning or the answer.

Hint 3

Following Hint 2, don't prioritize to interpret the missing parts, but rather focus on what you can really see, to gather as many clues as possible.

Hint 4

The word you can't see (I mean the final solution) can't be "maple", just for the same reason as it can't be "marie", or " varied". Maybe a later hint will clarify this if you don't see what I mean.

Hint 5

Leaf colors have been already mentioned. Is that all?

Hint 6

I did something to the question that the answer hardly does, everybody here wants a part of the question.

Hint 7

Someone requested a hint(/clarification) that describes what was guessed right or wrong. I will try to be as clear as possible. Right(1): The lines refer to letters. Right(2): those letters are the letters of "maple". Right(3): Leaf/Leaves is a relevant remark Right(4): The different coloring is deliberate and important. Wrong: everything else. My advice was: the "cutout" parts are not informative, the visible parts are informative.

Hint 8

How many different shapes do you see?

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9
  • $\begingroup$ I see what I can't see. But I'm afraid that the knowledge tag will stop me from going further. $\endgroup$
    – WhatsUp
    Commented Nov 9, 2019 at 15:48
  • $\begingroup$ WhatsUp, just ignore that tag, it's not that overspecific. Of course access to internet won't do any harm. $\endgroup$
    – user63710
    Commented Nov 9, 2019 at 19:38
  • $\begingroup$ One thing nobody seems to have commented on yet is that rot13(gur jbeq NYR vf pbybherq qvssreragyl jvguva gur jbeq ZNCYR (be jungrire vg vf)) - this could be important, although I don't yet see the answer myself... $\endgroup$
    – Stiv
    Commented Nov 12, 2019 at 9:26
  • $\begingroup$ Do the compression artifacts have any significance? $\endgroup$
    – Daedric
    Commented Nov 15, 2019 at 0:08
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Minor significance (if this isn't an oxymoron) $\endgroup$
    – user63710
    Commented Nov 15, 2019 at 16:19

6 Answers 6

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New guess:

VARIEGATED

Reasons:

1. OP said the answer was a single word.
2. The word could be "MAPLE" and there is a variegated maple tree, which has leaves of multiple colors, like the letters.
3. If the consonants are dark and the vowels are light, the letters shown could instead be "VARIE". (from MacGyver88)
4. The title implies there is a letter or word you can't see (also from Macgyver88), meaning there could be the invisible word "GATED" at the end.

Old guess:

Cutleaf maple

Reasoning:

The word "maple" is spelled using leaf colored letters -> "leaf maple", and then parts of it are cut out -> "cut leaf maple".

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  • $\begingroup$ If you took the cutout parts by themselves they appear to spell Wii... I wonder if that's just a coincidence? $\endgroup$
    – user40528
    Commented Nov 11, 2019 at 16:34
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    $\begingroup$ @postmortes I don't see it. I could see the musical notes thing maybe, but I don't see the W in Wii. If anything, I thought maybe instead of musical notes the cutouts were hockey sticks -> Toronto Maple Leafs, but OP hasn't commented on my answer at all so I haven't changed it. $\endgroup$
    – JS1
    Commented Nov 11, 2019 at 18:58
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Is it

Autumn Leaves? (something you can't see, as per title, because you hear it instead)

The word seems to be a yellow and green

MAPLE (suggesting the colours its leaves have in the autumn)

with some parts missing. A couple of the missing parts could have been caused by cutting off a very specific shape, and that shape would fit the other spots too:

enter image description here

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1
  • $\begingroup$ Not the intended answer. Ignore the main title in terms of searching clues. The musical notes are interesting. (Some of the notes are not filling preceeding holes, so not that specific) $\endgroup$
    – user63710
    Commented Nov 10, 2019 at 11:21
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I’m thinking it’s

The Maple Leaf Rag

The first step is to realize that the completed word is “Maple”. The next step is to realize that the text is colored like leaves. Finally, as noted in Bass’ answer, the missing shape is a musical note. Putting it all together, the final answer can be deduced.
Edit: As a cheeky little side note, the Maple is in pretty bad shape - you could even say it’s ragged

Alternatively,

(taking things literally), what I see is a Maple split or Split Maple. Unfortunately, still more than one word, but at least it's an idea that could be worked with.

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  • $\begingroup$ I should have specified that the conclusion is one word. The musical connections are interesting in both answers. The cheeky side note is a good one. $\endgroup$
    – user63710
    Commented Nov 10, 2019 at 11:13
  • $\begingroup$ About that music, rot13(Gur Ragregnvare naq Gur Zncyr Yrns Ent ner gjb pbzcyrgryl qvssrerag pbzcbfvgvbaf ol Fpbgg Wbcyva.) $\endgroup$
    – Christian Gibbons
    Commented Nov 14, 2019 at 5:25
  • $\begingroup$ I saw it after I googled it too:)I think he google searched it too, but a bit more superficially $\endgroup$
    – user63710
    Commented Nov 14, 2019 at 11:44
  • $\begingroup$ @Archipelago Actually, I'd played one or the other on the piano a long time ago, and had gotten them confused together by now. Will go ahead and fix it $\endgroup$
    – Avi
    Commented Nov 14, 2019 at 19:20
  • $\begingroup$ Wow.. I only listened to them on youtube after seeing your answer $\endgroup$
    – user63710
    Commented Nov 15, 2019 at 16:21
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It appears to be the word

maple

But since the vertical lines are removed it leads me to think that perhaps it is a

striped maple

However, given that the poster indicated that the answer is a single word, and given that one smart contributer showed that perhaps the missing sections are

Musical Notes

Then a quick Google search on the three leads me to

the band Striped Maple Hollow

And so the part of that answer that according to the title of the puzzle is unseen would be the word

Hollow.

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2
  • $\begingroup$ Promising start, but it seems not only the vertical parts are missing. Perhaps there is more to it... $\endgroup$
    – tmpearce
    Commented Nov 9, 2019 at 3:03
  • $\begingroup$ Promising start indeed, and yes there is more to it. $\endgroup$
    – user63710
    Commented Nov 9, 2019 at 19:39
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My guess is

DESICCATE

Reason being

Desiccate - to dry thoroughly; dry up.

Moreover

Online I found a tree called an incised silver maple (desiccated silver maple). (oops - was actually dissected silver maple) but it lead me to this conclusion regardless) :) It has 5 lobes on its leaf. In the picture, the removed portions are mostly vertical, which may represent the veins of the leaf where water is carried, keeping the leaf hydrated. Without the veins, the leaf would dry up, or break apart.

Previous answers were

Camouflage, VARIED and MARIE - but those answers were incorrect.

Because

The one I can't see or the answer has been hidden behind some dark and light green shapes that look like maple leaves but aren't. So, it must be camouflaged. - Patterns- Dark letters are consonants, Light letters are vowels - Leaving either "EE", a really long "E", or an "IE". The one I can't see is the ending "D" . Also,the picture or word within has been altered from the original. So it is varied. Note - VARIES probably should qualify as well. Also, Marie Curie is famous for helping to find radioactivity which is usually depicted by a green color but can't really be seen visually. Also the word appears to be decaying(radioactive decay). She also died due to complications from radiation exposure during her life.

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8
  • $\begingroup$ You got off the right track. Try not to "guess" (I know it's easy to say). Regarding the plus's rot13( lbh znqr gjb creprcgvbaf gung ranoyrf zr gb fnl gung gjb pyhrf unir orra qvfpbirerq) $\endgroup$
    – user63710
    Commented Nov 13, 2019 at 18:52
  • $\begingroup$ You always say something interesting, but remain very superficial. "Camouflaged"/masked/changed to what? :) Also, you started to go in a right direction Hint5 refers to. $\endgroup$
    – user63710
    Commented Nov 27, 2019 at 20:11
  • $\begingroup$ Hint 5 and 8 refer to the same thing, you realized correctly. But veins? This is a far association, unnecessary. If you ask me, start looking for more obvious things first. $\endgroup$
    – user63710
    Commented Dec 3, 2019 at 17:34
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    $\begingroup$ @Archipelago, If you hadn't noticed, things are a lot more obvious to the person who already knows the answer. $\endgroup$
    – MacGyver88
    Commented Dec 3, 2019 at 17:40
  • $\begingroup$ Sorry, maybe I chose the wrong word. Not "obvious", just "something closer" $\endgroup$
    – user63710
    Commented Dec 3, 2019 at 17:48
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Answer/guess:

FOREST

Reasoning:

You can't see the FOREST from the TREES.

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1
  • $\begingroup$ Unfortunately no:) Although this one has the clearest and most unique concept so far:) I think I commented somewhere that ignore the title, it is not a source of clues, maybe I should have written this right under the title:) $\endgroup$
    – user63710
    Commented Nov 27, 2019 at 18:05