Pareidolia

Seeing a specific, familiar pattern — most often a face — in something that doesn't actually contain one, such as a face in a cloud or a piece of toast.

Established Supported by convergent, high-quality evidence.

Seeing a specific, familiar pattern — most often a face — in something that doesn’t actually contain one: a face in a cloud, a wood grain, or a piece of toast. A normal, well-studied visual effect, not a sign that anything is wrong with someone who experiences it.

See Apophenia and pareidolia for the underlying brain mechanism and how it relates to the broader idea of apophenia.