Common

Stop Sign

What It Means

A red octagon with white letters spelling STOP. It's the only sign shaped like an octagon on U.S. roads, which means drivers can recognize it from any angle — even from behind or in fog — well before they can read the word. It means come to a complete stop and yield to cross traffic and pedestrians before proceeding.

How Rare Is It on Road Sign Hunt?

Common. You'll spot these on almost any drive.

Spotting Tip

You'll see one at almost every intersection without a traffic light, so you don't have to look far — but two-way and four-way stops both count, so keep marking them off as you pass through neighborhoods and small towns.

Fun Fact

The octagon shape dates to 1923. Early sign standards assigned shapes to danger levels — circles for railroad crossings, diamonds for warnings — and the octagon was reserved as the shape with the most sides practical to manufacture, signaling “stop” as the most urgent message on the road.

Ready to keep hunting? Head back to the game to check Stop Sign off your card, or browse the full sign guide.